BLOOMINGBURG – The planned Hassidic community called The Villages at Chestnut Ridge in the Village of Bloomingburg is projected to grow from the initial 500 units of housing to 5,000 units over a 10 to 15-year period.
In confidential documents made public, the developers described the new village as “intended to be a transformative development; building a secure, affordable, growing Hassidic community that will ultimately accommodate thousands of families.”
According to a January 14, 2013 confidential memo from the developers, “the development is in Bloomingburg, NY, the smallest village in NYS. With the initial occupancy of these homes, the owners of Chestnut Ridge will effectively control the local government, its zoning and ordinances.”
The initial development is planned on 200 acres, but another 500 acres of adjacent property have been acquired.
Local residents, who oppose the project, are concerned that it could become another Kiryas Joel, the large Hassidic village in the Town of Monroe.
