San Diego – April 15, 2021 – Cooley helped Hillel of San Diego secure a ruling by the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District allowing construction of the Beverly and Joseph Glickman Hillel Center, adjacent to the University of California, San Diego. Lawyers Summer Wynn, Barrett Anderson and Dylan Scott lead the Cooley effort.
"Hillel has worked for decades to create a safe space for the Jewish community at UCSD, and we are pleased that the court of appeal agreed that the project should move forward," said Anderson, who argued the case for Hillel in court via video teleconference.
Karen Parry, executive director of Hillel of San Diego, stated in a news release, "The Beverly and Joseph Glickman Hillel Center will be a shining symbol of resilience for the future of the Jewish community."
The vacant lot of land was purchased by Hillel of San Diego nearly 20 years ago and the building project was unanimously approved by the San Diego City Council in 2017, but the project had been on hold due to a court challenge by a group named Taxpayers for Responsible Land Use. TRLU has been challenging the project at every level claiming, among other things, that the gathering space for Jewish college students would be a detriment to the neighborhood. The city council rejected those challenges and approved the project. That decision was upheld by the Superior Court, a ruling that has now been affirmed on appeal.
The appellate court's ruling is the penultimate step toward allowing the construction project to begin. The $19 million project consists of three state-of-the-art buildings totaling 6,500 square feet and will serve the Jewish students of UCSD each year by hosting worship, Jewish learning and community activities. Construction on the Hillel Center is slated to begin later this summer.