In an attempt to fight a 396-unit high-density Satmar hasidic townhouse development that was allegedly originally pitched to village officials through a front man as a low-density vacation and retirement cottage development complete with a golf course, the tiny Village of Bloomingburg, New York, population approximately 420, may dissolve itself.
Small Village May Dissolve In Order To Block Massive Satmar Hasidic Development
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
In an attempt to fight a 396-unit high-density Satmar hasidic townhouse development that was allegedly originally pitched to village officials through a front man as a low-density vacation and retirement cottage development complete with a golf course, the tiny Village of Bloomingburg, New York, population approximately 420, may dissolve itself.
The high-density townhouse development is being built by Modern Orthodox developer Shalom Lamm for the Zalman faction of Satmar hasidim, who have marketed it in the Yiddish paper they control, Der Yid, as a new Satmar hasidic “shtetl” (village) called Kiryas Yatev Lev in what experts call a clear violation of US Fair Housing law.
Bloomingburg’s board is scheduled to vote on the date for a referendum – tentatively scheduled for September 30 – that, if successful, would put Bloomingburg under the control the larger neighboring Town of Mamakating, whose leaders and many of its residents strongly oppose Lamm and his development, the Times Herald-Record reported.
The Rural Community Coalition gathered more than 80 signatures on a petition calling for the referendum – more than the required 20 percent of legal voters needed to compel the referendum to be held. Bloomingburg’s mayor, Frank Gerardi, and all three Bloomingburg board members reportedly signed the petition.
Meanwhile, a state appellate court judge issued a temporary restraining order yesterday blocking a ruling issued last week by Sullivan County Supreme Court Judge Stephan Schick.
Schick had ruled that Bloomingburg’s 2006 annexation of the land from Mamakating that Lamm’s development is being built on was illegal, but also ruled Lamm could continue building on it. Schick put the land back under the control of Mamakating and ruled the town could refuse to "enforce legislation it believes to be invalid."
Tuesday's restraining order from the state appellate court reportedly bars Mamakating from restricting the development, according to Bloomingburg Village Attorney Steve Mogel.
Bloomingburg is not issuing new building permits, however, until a new code enforcement officer is hired, and the attorney for the Town of Mamakating reportedly said Mamakating would be appealing the ruling.
Mamakating has stricter zoning laws than Bloomingburg.
Bloomingburg’s population could easily grow from its current 420 to close to 2,500 or even more when Lamm’s Satmar development is fully occupied.
The Rural Community Coalition tried to force a referendum to dissolve Bloomingburg once before, in 2012.
But the town’s former board, heavily under the influence of Lamm, rejected the petition, claiming it was not properly filed.
Bloomingburg has reportedly hired a consulting firm, the Laberge Group, to oversee the dissolution process.
Lamm’s Bloomingburg office and many of his local properties were raided by the FBI earlier this year and Lamm is believed to be under federal criminal investigation.
He and about 100 hasidim had their votes in Bloomingburg’s March election disqualified after it became clear none of them had actual legal residences in Bloomingburg. Many had listed one of Lamm’s old downtown buildings as their residence.
Among the wrongful voters were Lamm’s daughter and son-in-law, who both live and work full time in Israel.
In a December court filing in another unrelated case, Lamm had declared his legal residence to be in New Hempstead, New York – many miles away from tiny Bloomingburg.
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