Insular Hasidic village seeks to expand, riling neighbors
KIRYAS JOEL—An insular Hasidic Jewish village in upstate New York wants to expand, and that is raising tensions with neighbors who fear the growth could overrun their slice of suburbia.
The 1.1-square mile village of Kiryas Joel has almost 22,000 residents and has nearly doubled in size since 2000. Residents follow a tradition of having large families.
Surrounding communities fear an expansion of the village's urban-style development could disrupt the hilly area 50 miles northwest of New York City.
An appeals court this month denied opponents' request to place a stay on an annexation. That clears the way for rezoning in the coming months. A parallel effort to create an expanded, new town still needs to be considered by the county legislature.
