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The Village Board approved a six-month residential building moratorium Monday that excludes two major projects in the village: the proposed 566-home Clovewood development and a planned 39,000-square-foot Sleep Inn.

The language in the seven-page local law the Village Board unanimously approved Monday specifically excludes both Clovewood and Sleep Inn, which are in the village's planning pipeline. It also excludes all projects that are already undergoing the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process in the village.

The Village of South Blooming Grove takes in about five square miles and has a population of about 3,200. It is located just north of the Hasidic Village of Kiryas Joel. Monroe and the southern portion of the Town of Blooming Grove have been under development pressure from a growing Hasidic population seeking to expand beyond Kiryas Joel.

Village Attorney Dennis Lynch said the moratorium is not driven by the push for Hasidic housing but by the need for the town to update its overall zoning. It will expire in early August. The law includes a provision for a three-month extension, if the board feels it is needed.