Environmental review adopted

The Village of Woodbury voted to adopt a positive State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) resolution in relation to the petition from the Village of Kiryas Joel and the Town of Palm Tree to annex 197 acres from the Town and Village of Woodbury.

On Oct. 14, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation designated the village as lead agency in the review of the petition. In that capacity, the village determined that the proposed annexation may have a significant impact on the local environment, infrastructure demands, neighborhood character and other issues, according to the resolution passed by the board.

Trustee James Freiband asked that the motion be tabled due to what he said were discrepancies in the paperwork and that the village did not distribute a coordination letter to all interested and involved agencies. He added that the town was not consulted, did not approve a resolution agreeing to this, and that a joint meeting between the two municipalities was needed.

Mayor Andrew Giacomazza said the petition was reviewed by multiple attorneys, including the village attorney, and questioned Freiband’s motive as he voted against the village serving as lead agency when the matter first came before the board.

Attorney Rudolph Zodda, who was filling in for Village Attorney Lino Sciaretta, said he felt that because the town never declared an interest in serving as lead agency and the DEC appointed the village to the role, there was no reason to involve the town. He also said that involved or interested agencies do not have any authority to make decisions on the annexation and that village had the right to adopt the positive SEQRA review and inform the agencies of that action. Freiband disagreed, claiming environmental conservation law required the village to notice the other agencies.

Woodbury resident Jaqueline Hernandez, who is running for Woodbury Town Supervisor and is a member of the We The People platform that petitioned for the village to serve as lead agency, asked fellow community members to unite in opposition to the annexation, regardless of how they vote in the election.

Annie McGuiness of Central Valley questioned whether the village’s actions would be enough to stop neighboring communities from expanding and said more needs to be done to ensure all municipalities have access to working sewers, safe roads, affordable taxes and excellent schools. She added that the moratoriums against building are causing Woodbury to lose its identity and is keeping businesses from coming in and developing the downtown areas. She also questioned the financial impact the annexation review would have on village residents and asked that the village find ways to negotiate with the Village of Kiryas Joel and Town of Palm Tree.

At the request of Freiband, the board voted to have the village attorney prepare a moratorium on future short-term rental applications and prepare revisions to the code to limit them to owner-occupied units.

The move corresponded with two public hearings for short-term rental applications that had been operating without proper approval from the village. Several residents had spoken out against them.

Highland Mills resident James Ng shared his worry that what happened to his neighborhood - which was impacted by increased garbage and noise because of short-term rentals - would happen in other parts of Woodbury. He also said short-term rentals hinder residents’ ability to know their neighbors. He called for STRs to be used as long-term rentals instead.

Monroe resident BJ Mendelson questioned the board on why they weren’t doing more to address the short-term rental issue across Southern Orange County. He further claimed that the growth of STRs, which is reducing housing availability, is being used to push for more developments. He added that more STRs hinders the ability for people to afford to live and work in the area leading to labor shortages.

Village officials and residents alike shared high praise for Trustee Victor Ferrarelli, whose resignation from the board was accepted at the meeting. They thanked him for his service to the village and his dedication to several organizations in the community.

Giacomazza commended Ferrarelli on his work ethic and called him a “shining example of what you should do when you get elected,” who will be missed.

Ferrarelli acknowledged the praise and the importance of giving back.

“I always feel like I want to give back; I want to help. I want to everything I can to help people. I want to give back to people. I love this community. I love this town. I am going to miss it.”

Kathleen Mottola, who was appointed by Giacomazza at the meeting, will fill the vacant board seat as of Nov. 1.