Proposed Hasidic Community Survives Appeal Challenge

A Hasidic community is a step closer to being formed in southern Orange County after appeals from nearby municipalities — including another Hasidic village — were rejected.

The Seven Springs village proposal survived several appeals last week, the Times Union reported. The town of Monroe and village of Kiryas Joel have pushed against the incorporation of the new village, which would be at the northern end of the town.

The village petition is being led by developer Herman Wagschal. The 2-square-mile community, close to both Kiryas Joel and Bloomington Grove, is expected to be primarily for Hasidic Jews.

The town of Monroe appealed the village petition on the basis of a technicality, claiming the petitioner didn’t pay a $6,000 fee. A judge struck down that argument because a fee had been paid before the petition was submitted.

Kiryas Joel, meanwhile, battled with the petitioner over control of undeveloped land across Route 17. The village administrator tried to beat Wagschal to the punch by petitioning to annex some of the proposed Seven Springs land. Ultimately the judge decided the Seven Springs proposal came first and deserved precedent.

Both of those decisions have been upheld. Unless this is appealed up another level, the next step will see Monroe reconsider the village petition, which dates back to 2019. If the town gives the go-ahead, a public hearing for those living within the village boundaries would be held. Then, a referendum.

The effort to start Seven Springs began in 2018 when some Monroe residents felt excluded from a plan to expand Kiryas Joel, another Hasidic community and one that is in the midst of a boom.

The fight for Seven Springs reportedly became literal in 2019, when two people allegedly assaulted Wagschal outside at town hall while he was submitting a revised petition for the village incorporation.

— Holden Walter-Warner