A Hudson Valley county and nine municipalities have filed a lawsuit over a proposal to allow a fast-growing Hasidic Jewish village to annex 164 acres of adjacent land.
The lawsuit on behalf of Orange County and a group of towns and villages was filed in state Supreme Court in Goshen on Friday and announced Monday.
The Town of Monroe and the village of Kiryas Joel approved the annexation last month. The Middletown Times Herald-Record reports that the lawsuit seeks to overturn their approval and challenges the adequacy of Kiryas Joel's environmental review.
Leaders of the densely settled enclave of ultra-Orthodox Satmar Hasidic Jews have said Kiryas Joel needs more land to accommodate its fast-growing population.
Opponents say they fear increased congestion from more apartment buildings in the suburban area.
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