ALBANY—The Hasidic Jewish village in Kiryas Joel can chalk up a victory as Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoed a bill that could have derailed the village’s request to annex neighboring land, an effort that has raised tensions between the quickly growing enclave and surrounding suburban communities.
Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus expressed disappointment at the governor’s veto and hoped for a prompter response, adding that its own study found the annexation would be bad for the county.
“I wish that the state responded over a year ago when I first asked to give the county a formal, legally binding role in the annexation process.”
Officials from the village are overseeing an environmental review of a request to annex up to 507 acres adjacent to the village in Monroe. Leaders of the ultra-Orthodox Satmar Hasidic Jews said the village needs the additional land, but many people in the surrounding suburbs fear congestion from the spread of multifamily apartment buildings like the ones packed into the 1.1-square-mile village.
