Let’s Be Clear

Swiller in for Betty

Below is an article from the Cornwall Local. There was a fundraiser to pay for the lawsuit against the town laws that allow the Brodsky Project and Legacy Ridge expansion to go forward.

I’d be interested in knowing if it really raised any money, or if it was merely a show to divert attention from the people who are really paying for this lawsuit. And I am guessing that those people are the one’s who stand to gain the most from the lawsuit.

Let’s be clear. The lawsuit will be thrown out in court. It will then be appealed. The appeal will lose. But, all this will slow the developments down. That is the goal. To try and make things as unpleasant for the developers as possible so they will give up.

And, if they do give up - does that mean that the land won’t be developed?
Of course not. The land will be sold.

And the highest bidder will be the Vaad haKirya, the land owning arm of the people who run Kiryas Joel. And with enough land they will stand a good chance of getting a court to allow annexation.

And that’s the goal of all this.

In the article below we see that Caruso finally steps out of the shadows as the hand behind this whole lawsuit. There he is with his political whore, Bob Donnelly. Selling out the town.

And why not? The town rejected his bid to get to the County Legislature, so, if he’s to have any chance at taking over Bill Larkin’s little empire, he better make his bosses friends happy. And if that means getting them a chunk of Woodbury, wasn’t that his goal the whole time? All we have to go on are his actions.

Cornwall Local
March 17, 2006
by Ken Cashman
They’re unlikely allies who may be starting a beautiful friendship. Three Woodbury homeowners have filed a lawsuit against their town and a group of Cornwall residents may be bacing them financially.

The lawsuit is an Article 78 petition that challenges local laws that make it possible to reduce lot sizes and include more homes in two developments.

One of those developments, Legacy ridge, would be built in the portion of Woodbury that is located in the Cornwall School District.

As a result, Cornwall and Woodbury taxpayers were gathered at a fund-raising event in Mountainville on March 12. Ralph Caruso, a Woodbury resident and a recent candidate for the county legislature, was one of the people who spoke at the gathering.

We’re trying to fom a coalition between the two towns," he explained. "It’s important to work together to make sure that the lawsuit is successful."

Jim Bacon, a New Paltz attorney is representing the three petitioners - John Seyferth, Don Siebold and Karin Ungerer - in their attempt to have the local laws annulled. He expects that their case will be heard by Judge Elaine Slobod during the next two months. At least part of bacon’s argument will be that the town took action before it had the necessary input and approval from the county.

The Cornwall people at the meeting were less concerned with procedures than with the impact of the development on their school district. The change in zoning would enable Legacy Ridge to grow from 160 to over 280 units, which could mean hundreds of additional students going to Cornwall schools.

Cornwall Supervisor Richard Randazzo had a strong reaction to the proposal. "It’s important that we stay fully engaged in this," he said at the March 12th meeting. "It’s a political issue in that government has a responsibility to make good decisions for people. I hope they’ll [the Woodbury Town Board] look long and hard at what I consider to be an over-development of that area.

The supervisor also said that "we know there is little capacity" in the school district. Woodbury has to give that a lot of weight in making its decision. Every community is doing up-zoning not down-zoning."
The three Woodbury homeowners are looking for financial support for their upcoming lagal battles. People who would like to help them can contact Don Siebold at 928-9310 or send contributions to him a 7 Adriane Drive, Highland Mills, NY 10930. People wishing to send checks should make them out to James Bacon, Esq.

Bob Donnelly, a guest at the fund-raiser, compared the quest to David fighting Goliath. He said that Goliath is a project that might be worth $150 million, while "David is maybe 10 people who have shouldered the fight."

Joe Swanson, a former Mountainville resident, suggested that the local laws affect "not only Legacy Ridge, but a lot of acreage that could be developed."

Speaking of the impact on the school district, Bacon explained that it’s a mistake to "look at cost per student without considering the need for new (school) buildings or more buses."

To which Randazzo responded, "It’s a known fact that single family homes don’t offset the costs of new students."

A few comments on the above article: For Randazzo to complain about the density of a project like Legacy Ridge where the zoning is being changed from 1 house per three acres to one house per 2 acres is a joke. ere’s a quote from Cornwall’s new (2005) Comprehensive plan -note that this is talking about what they call "medium density.":

"Suburban Residential (Medium Density): These areas contain the heart of Cornwall’s residential development from the village west around the
Canterbury area to a point east of the Thruway and in the developed portion of Beaver Dam Lake. Densities allow for half-acre single-family lots with multifamily and townhouse units in selected areas as well as Senior Housing at higher densities."

And he has the nerve to say: "Every community is doing up-zoning not down-zoning."

Cornwall and New Windsor are adding over a thjousand new units to the school district and he claims to have his panties in a twist because Legacy Ridge is adding 120 units? Every time that Cornwall or New Windsor adds a house they are also adding commuters wh are going to head right down Route32, clogging Woodbury, on their way to the throughway.

Hypocrisy is alive and well in Cornwall.

And as long as we have Caruso, it’s here in Woodbury too.