Posted Nov 11, 2016 at 8:11 PM
KIRYAS JOEL — A coalition of governments and a nonprofit group have appealed a state Supreme Court justice’s dismissal of their lawsuits challenging Kiryas Joel’s annexation of 164 acres in the Town of Monroe.
They’re also asking the court to stay any development within those 164 acres that would not conform to Monroe’s current low-density zoning until the case is decided, and to conduct an expedited review of the appeals.
Motions seeking the stays and expedited reviews are scheduled to be heard in the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Nov. 25.
State Supreme Court Justice Gretchen Walsh dismissed the two lawsuits, rejecting all legal claims of both groups in a 96-page decision issued Oct. 11.
Kiryas Joel’s Board of Trustees passed a law to annex the land later that week.
Kiryas Joel officials said following Walsh’s ruling that they hoped its comprehensiveness might put an end to legal challenges to their expansion plans. Village Administrator Gedalye Szegedin could not be reached Friday to comment on the appeal.
In a separate move, Kiryas Joel has petitioned the Orange County Legislature to approve the formation of a new Town of North Monroe. The town would include Kiryas Joel and 382 acres in the Town of Monroe, including territory the village tried to add through the 164-acre annexation and a 507-acre annexation proposal that also is tied up in litigation.
The governments challenging the annexation are Orange County and its Sewer District No. 1, the villages of South Blooming Grove, Monroe, Woodbury, Harriman and Cornwall-on-Hudson, and the towns of Blooming Grove, Woodbury, Cornwall and Chester. The Monroe Joint Fire District and the Black Rock Fish and Game Club are also plaintiffs in that case.
The second challenge is being pursued by Preserve Hudson Valley, a nonprofit arm of the United Monroe citizens group.
The nonprofit's court papers assert that plaintiffs have “a right to the expedited review of their claims before the village takes action that would” make those claims moot.
The government coalition’s court papers express similar concerns, noting that under normal circumstances, it could take up to two years for the court to hear arguments on the appeal and make a decision.