The Twilight Zone

Municipal leaders: Kiryas Joel should submit plans to Orange County


By Chris Mckenna
January 27, 2009 6:00 AM
Times Herald-RecordKIRYAS JOEL — 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.

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 Jan. 20 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 Monday 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.

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.