Annexation Request Approved For Hasidic Village Of Kiryas Joel
KIRYAS JOEL, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- During a heated meeting that lasted more than an hour Tuesday night, a town board voted to allow a Hasidic Jewish village in the Hudson Valley to annex approximately 164 acres of its land.
Board members in the Orange County town of Monroe denied a request to allow the village of Kiryas Joel to annex up to 507 acres of town land. Instead, the board allowed the village to annex only 163.8 acres.
Tensions flared during the meeting as hundreds of people were held behind metal barricades in the banquet hall where the vote was held. Police officers yelled "Sit down!'' as dozens in the crowd waved signs and shouted at one another. For more than an hour, council members tried to explain their position on the proposals to the crowd as hecklers in the audience shouted at them.
Annexation Request Approved For Hasidic Village Of Kiryas Joel
Leaders of the densely settled enclave of ultra-Orthodox Satmar Hasidic Jews have said the village of 22,000 is bursting at the seams and needs more land to accommodate its quickly growing population. Opponents of the annexation request, which was made by out-of-village Satmar, say they fear increased congestion from more apartment buildings in the suburban area.
Ari Felberman, the village's government relations coordinator, said the decision brought a "mixed bag of emotions.''
"For those who live in the 164 (acres), it's a victory, he said, noting that residents who lived in other parts of the village likely will continue fighting for annexation.
Those who oppose the measure have vowed to sue to overturn the approval. They argue the village failed to follow state environmental law.
"We might end up with a court case,'' Councilman Gerard McQuade Jr. said. "The petitioners are likely to sue.''
There are also environmental concerns about sewage and water resources.
"The sewer is very limited in that area of Orange County; the sewer plant that exists there now -- the Harriman Wastewater Treatment Plant -- is almost at capacity," Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus told WCBS 880's Sean Adams. "That whole southern Orange County corridor is going to be negatively impacted by this amount of growth."
Before the vote, Monroe Town Supervisor Harley Doles said the town was "faced with an enormous decision.''
The 1.1-square-mile village of Kiryas Joel was founded within the town of Monroe in the mid-1970s by members of the Satmar sect seeking a more tranquil setting than Brooklyn, about 60 miles south.
Men wear black suits with brimmed hats and women dress modestly. Marriages come early and families are large, which has helped the population grow quickly. Two babies are born here each day on average.
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