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Friday, May 25, 2018

New Hasidic village near KJ being considered 

Some Monroe property owners whose land was excluded from a recent expansion of Kiryas Joel and the future town it will form are considering the creation of a new village for Hasidic neighborhoods and large swaths of undeveloped land.

A map dated in November and recently obtained by the Times Herald-Record shows the proposed "Village of Be'er Sheva," taking in all remaining Town of Monroe areas west and south of Kiryas Joel that are outside the villages of Monroe and Harriman. The roughly 1,000-acre village would incorporate properties across Route 17 from Kiryas Joel that include two Hasidic schools and a ritual bath, a large stretch of business-zoned land on Larkin Drive, and much of Harriman Commons Shopping Center.

No one has taken credit for commissioning the map, and it's unclear when, if ever, the property owners may petition to create such a village, which would be decided by a referendum of the people in the prescribed area. But there may be enough people to meet the minimum of 500 inhabitants needed in New York to establish a village. And a property owner and an attorney involved in the discussions confirm the concept is being considered, while stressing that no decision has been made whether to proceed.

"I'm supportive of the idea, but we didn't do anything yet," said Herman Wagschal, who lives off Seven Springs Road and is among a group of residents and property owners disappointed by a compromise that left their land out of the future Town of Palm Tree.

Wagschal said he didn't order the "Be'er Sheva" map, and he opposes giving an American village a Hebrew name ("Be'er Sheva" is a Hebrew translation of "Seven Springs," and the name of a large city in Israel). He estimated 250 to 270 families live in the area of the potential village, which is similar to a concept that was floated four years ago during a conflict over the push to expand Kiryas Joel.

That conflict began at the end of 2013, with a petition by Hasidic property owners for Kiryas Joel to annex 507 acres, and effectively ended last year with a legal agreement to end annexation court cases and support the creation of Palm Tree. As part of that deal with leaders of the United Monroe citizens group, Kiryas Joel officials agreed to refuse any annexation requests for 10 years after Palm Tree came into existence - and do nothing to help create a new village in Monroe during that time.

John Allegro, a member of United Monroe's executive committee, said Thursday that any attempt to incorporate a village would run counter to the peaceful terms his group reached with Kiryas Joel leaders and that Monroe voters overwhelmingly supported.

"I think it would be a detriment to community relations, and the steps we took when we negotiated this settlement," he said.

One obstacle a "Be'er Sheva" proposal might face is an annexation petition that Allegro and some neighbors signed in 2014 that was put on hold but never withdrawn. That petition, which sought to move part of northwestern Monroe into the Village of South Blooming Grove, could interfere with forming a new village by creating at least the prospect that some "Be'er Sheva" properties could become part of another village.


The deal between Kiryas Joel and United Monroe calls for the withdrawal of the South Blooming Grove annexation petition, but when that will happen is unclear.

Another potential obstacle is the Village of Monroe's annexation last month of 23 acres of parkland from the Town of Monroe. That parcel, which abuts Route 17 and connects two halves of the "Be'er Sheva" map, can't be made part of another village and could therefore bisect the territory that would be incorporated.

http://www.recordonline.com/news/20180524/new-hasidic-village-near-kj-being-considered

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