ALBANY – A federal judge has tossed a lawsuit against State Senator James Skoufis (D, Woodbury) filed by a family that wanted to create the new Hasidic village of Seven Springs in the Town of Monroe.
Skoufis said the Wagschal family was upset that their property was not included in the Village of Palm Tree proposal and because the lawmaker sponsored legislation to “curtail irresponsible development,” they antagonized then-Assemblyman Skoufis on social media.
“They are upset because they are not getting up-zoned, rezoned, to be able to build lots and lots and lots of houses and as a result make lots and lots and lots of money as the developers for those properties, and so the Wagschal’s response is, ‘well, screw you guys, we’ll just create our own village and create our own zoning,’ which flies in the face of the intended purpose of local land-use laws and why villages are created,” Skoufis said Monday.
The senator said the outcome of the lawsuit shows he “cannot be bullied.”
The village incorporation petition is still pending.
