Hasidic Orthodox Jewish developers allege the town of Forestburgh, New York, altered zoning regulations to dissuade them from building homes on a site that had received previous approval under different ownership; state officials appear to agree.

The New York state attorney general’s office has intervened in an ongoing land use controversy in Forestburgh, New York (pop. 793). According to the Times Union, “The state attorney general’s office is warning the leaders of a Sullivan County town that zoning regulations they adopted last year for ‘places of worship’ may be discriminatory because they appear to have been designed to block a large development project proposed by Hasidic Orthodox Jews.”
The issue began four years ago when the developers, who have Hasidic Orthodox Jewish principles, purchased property and development rights for $13 million from another developer who had received approvals from the town for a planned development district with 2,000 residences. But a lawsuit filed earlier this year, the second associated with this issue, alleges the town enacted burdensome zoning regulations — including requiring a minimum of five acres for places of worship and lot-line setbacks that are larger than those required for similar building uses — because the developers intend Jewish people to live there. “They said the town also raised their property assessment and increased development fees to dissuade them from developing the site,” reports Brendan J. Jones for the Times Union.
Town officials dispute the accusations, saying the regulations do not specifically call out any race or religion. But the state’s attorney general office’s letter to Forestburgh’s town supervisor states that the zoning regulations in question contain no written justification for the onerous restrictions on religious uses and therefore appear to violate state and federal religious discrimination laws. The regulations were also developed in closed-door executive sessions with no public minutes, so “it is impossible to know what the deciding factors were in imposing the prohibitive size requirements on religious uses.”
The Times Union also reports that this issue is not a unique one in the state. Three years ago, New York attorney general’s office reached agreements with a few other towns to end what state officials say were discriminatory housing practices also designed to prevent Hasidic Orthodox Jewish residents from moving there.
FULL STORY: Attorney general warns town its zoning regs appear to thwart Jewish developers

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Greening Oakland’s School Grounds
With help from community partners like the Trust for Public Land, Oakland Unified School District is turning barren, asphalt-covered schoolyards into vibrant, green spaces that support outdoor learning, play, and student well-being.

California Governor Suspends CEQA Reviews for Utilities in Fire Areas
Utility restoration efforts in areas affected by the January wildfires in Los Angeles will be exempt from environmental regulations to speed up the rebuilding of essential infrastructure.

Native American Communities Prepare to Lead on Environmental Stewardship
In the face of federal threats to public lands and conservation efforts, indigenous groups continue to model nature-centered conservation efforts.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland