Kiryas Joel, NY – Several municipal leaders are pushing for the Village of Kiryas Joel to comply with a state law requiring that certain types of construction projects be reviewed in advance by county planners.
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The group has drafted a proposed resolution for the Orange County Legislature, demanding that all municipalities in the county obey that planning mandate, and sent copies to the other towns, villages and cities for their support.
“It happens to be the rule of law, and being law-abiding people, we comply with that,” said Blooming Grove Supervisor Charles Bohan, one of four officials who signed a cover letter that went out with the draft resolution.
Kiryas Joel has never submitted development plans to the county Planning Department for review, despite nearly constant construction of condominiums and other buildings to keep pace with the village’s rapid population growth.
Village Administrator Gedalye Szegedin didn’t respond to a request for comment Monday.
When asked almost two years ago about the village’s refusal to give building plans, he said he feared “another level of government review” would delay projects and increase their cost. And Szegedin said he worried even more that the village’s critics would scrutinize those plans and try to impede development.
Under state law, all municipalities are supposed to send the local Planning Department any plans to build within 500 feet of another municipality, parkland, county or state road and certain other areas, so that planners can weigh the potential impact and issue recommendations.
But county Planning Commissioner David Church, who has pressed in vain for Kiryas Joel’s development plans, cautioned that he still hasn’t learned if the village has a zoning law and Planning Board, without which it need not comply with the referral mandate.
“I’m not totally convinced they’re in noncompliance,” he said.
But Kiryas Joel does indeed have a zoning law, filed with the state Department of State on July 21, 1977, shortly after the village was incorporated. The law was amended in 1978 and 1984.
There is no state laws in KJ. U call it Chasidishe Law: u do what ever u want!! Hamieven Yuvin
So I guess according to KJ, it’s better to build cheap, non-code compliant deathtraps then to wait a few extra months. You know, you’d be surprised how much less animosity KJ would recieve if they just played a little nicer with their neighbors.
Very true #1 . Look, I wish the best for all Jews. But you are not above the law.
BTW, How do thye afford all the construction there? KJ is not known for a lot of industry or business. Or is it?
since the establishment of the village of KJ . their nieghbors are have the same fear that Paroh had. “PEN YIRBAH” . call it water supply or incorporating new villages at the borders of KJ. and now they sudenly have a zoning issue.and ofcause it doesn’t help that they keep on raising their taxes and are still in the red. while KJ didn’t hike taxes for the last 15 years!! they would like to see the satmars living in getohs. so every now and then they come up with shtick.
And then people wonder why there is so much antisemtic response to KJ? There behavior is a chilul hashshem. They should bend over backwards to demonstrate compliance with state and local law given the burdens they impose on the region. If they expect tolerance and understanding for their special needs, they should follow the chabad model of reaching out to the local community and seeking understanding. If they continue down this path of ignoring the requirement, they risk having all future development frozen and their overflow growth sent back to WB or BP.
KJ’s “zoning code” is a joke. Ah chazer fissel at best.
How many yiddishe homes are being foreclosed now in NYC because of homes that never had the real value and jews overpaid hundreds of thousans of dollars because they want to live in Brooklyn…KJ has been building for the last 30 years and you can buy a 7 bedroom apt. for 350,000 with a shul and talmud torah and all facilities a yiddishe home needs….Imagine waiting for our GOOD neighbors of anti semitic Blooming Grove for approval for a Talmud Torah or Mikveh or just any religious facility….They seem to have NO problem with Woobury commons which bring in thousands of vechiles daily causing backup traffic and pollution next to the woodbury school….Lets not forget its all about the JEWS…JEWS…..JEWS…wake up and smell the COFFEE !!!!!!!
KJ is very smart for keeping everything close to the vest. Their neighbors are simply jealous if not antisemites.
They do play by the rules. Its called VOTES. They vote in blocks in all elections, that is why they get whatever they want.
The press and their disgruntled neighbors make a lot of noise about compliance and what not, but they would’nt get away with so much for so long, if they were seriously out of compliance with any significant regulations. There are more than enough eager inspectors and law enforcement officials out there that would love to do them in.
It’s quite simple KJ is in compliance and if the law is against them they have enough votes to convince the legistlators to amend the laws to suit their needs.
They don’t have to break the law and they don’t!
I guess they missed the day in yeshiva when they taught dena demalchusa dena (or does satmar not teach that)??
this is what happens when you have a voting block- blatant disregard from the law with no fear of being punished
KJ Building Code can be viewed here
http://www.ecode360.com/?custId=KI1464