The Journal News August 11, 2014 “Citing rampant over-development in neighboring municipalities, Clarkstown town officials are moving to impose a six-month moratorium on residential development. Supervisor Alex Gromack and council members Shirley Lasker and Stephanie Hausner, fellow Democrats, endorsed the building ban at a press conference on Tuesday. They were expected to pass it at the Town Board meeting that night, setting up a 30-day ‘public comment’ period. A final vote is set for Sept. 29. Officials said the moratorium will give the town’s Building and Planning Departments time to review and overhaul zoning, possibly imposing a strict set of land use regulations to preserve the area’s residential character. The building ban comes amid an intense countywide debate over illegal housing and over-development, particularly in Ramapo. The town of 133,000 grew by 1,616 people last year — the third most of any in the state. “We’ve always been hyper-vigilant,” Lasker said. “We are the polar opposite of Ramapo, which shows a total disregard of its own zoning laws.” Read the complete Journal story here.