“The village has agreed to review a Hasidic Jewish school’s expansion plans, after settling a federal civil rights lawsuit which claimed the village discriminated against and blocked the project.
Under the agreement reached in U.S. District Court, Central United Talmudical Academy of Monsey gets a promise that its updated expansion plans will be reviewed in a timely manner by the village land-use boards, while the village gets the school’s promise to follow village procedures.
Airmont also is relieved of a legal burden. The village still faces a federal lawsuit from a coalition of the congregations and civil action by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan. The village previously lost two cases involving discriminatory zoning blocking residential houses of worship and dormitory housing involving Hasidic and Orthodox Jews since the village’s 1991 incorporation.
SETTLEMENT: Central UTA school and Airmont settle legal action without admittance of wrongdoing.
HISTORY: Airmont’s legal troubles, discriminatory claims, began at formation 30 years ago
Attorneys for Airmont and the school called the federal and state settlement of the action filed by Central UTA in November 2018 amicable.
“The parties agreed to a roadmap for Central UTA to apply for updated approvals for its school projects and operations,” the attorneys said in a statement released Monday.
As part of the settlement, Airmont “agreed to fairly review Central UTA’s project applications within reasonable deadlines and Central UTA agreed to work with the village’s land use review process to ensure compliance with state and local law.”
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