Court affirms agreement between United Monroe, Preserve Hudson Valley and Kiryas Joel

GOSHEN — A state Supreme Court judge this week so-ordered the agreement signed in July 2017 by United Monroe, Preserve Hudson Valley and the Village of Kiryas Joel.
The agreement was supported by the Monroe-Woodbury School District, the Orange County Legislature and at the polls on Nov. 7, 2017, by 83 percent of the voters of Monroe when they approved the new town of Palm Tree.
The agreement’s fundamental premise is: “it is in the overall public interest to promote a long-term settlement … for the purpose of reaching accord, peaceful coexistence and resolving litigation … and improving relations in their communities.”
The order by Justice Paul I. Marx adds another level of authority to the already legally binding contract that contains all of the terms and obligations agreed to by each of the parties. These include:
• The discontinuance of Preserve Hudson Valley’s lawsuit challenging the approvals of the 164-acre annexation petition by Monroe and Kiryas Joel. That discontinuance was granted simultaneously with the so-order.
• Kiryas Joel shall move to discontinue its lawsuit in the Appellate Court challenging the Town of Monroe’s denial of the 507-acre annexation petition.
• KJ and the new town of Palm Tree shall not do anything to facilitate any annexation of land from the Town of Monroe to KJ and/or Palm Tree for 10 years from the commencement of Palm Tree other than the 56 acres agreed to in the peace treaty.
• KJ and Palm Tree shall not do anything to facilitate the formation of any new villages in the Town of Monroe for 10 years from the commencement of Palm Tree.
“Ever since Monroe’s voters embraced Palm Tree on November 7th, we and KJ have been working diligently on all of the obligations each agreed to perform if Palm Tree were approved," UM Executive Committee members Michael Egan and John Allegro said in a joint statement. "Today’s Supreme Court decision is another hard-earned, major accomplishment. We expect to complete the few remaining obligations soon. When United Monroe and Preserve Hudson Valley say they will do something, they do it. ”
Meanwhile, Egan and Allegro went on to say: “Let this court order show the small handful of land owners and developers behind the recent petition to form a new religious village in Monroe that there is a far better way to solve their dissatisfaction with Monroe’s zoning than their divisive attack. Level-headed men and women can and should come together, peaceably and with good intentions, to find reasonable, mutually-agreeable solutions that serve the public interest.”