Despite a nationwide housing slump, the trend hasn’t stuck the Town of Fallsburg, in Upstate NY – the Times Herald Record reports. That’s largely because of the specialized summer developments and camps that draw Orthodox Jews from New York City and surrounding areas.
The town’s code enforcement officer, Allen Frishman, estimates that roughly 50 percent to 70 percent of the proposed projects that come before the board end in built developments. There are now more than 100 units in various stages of construction being built around Fallsburg.
It’s rural legend that most of the town’s properties are tax exempt because they’re owned by religious organizations. What’s true is that an estimated 39 percent of Fallsburg land is not taxed, but that’s because the town is home to two prisons, Sullivan County Community College, yeshivas and multiple camps, in addition to public parks and schools.
Residential units owned by the area’s Jewish groups are taxed just like any other housing development. But because many seasonal developments are condos, those owners pay taxes about 50 percent lower than taxes on single-family homes, according to town Assessor Michael Pilmenstein.
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3 Responses
If a tree falls in the forest and no one witnesses it, does it make noise?
ehem, what!!!!!!!!!!
The fact that Orthodox Jews highly value large, close-knit families makes the Orthodox Jewish communities relatively immune from the national trend towards a decline in demand for housing units.
America is suffering from its self-imposed attack on family values, led by the lunatic Liberals, who control our print and electronic media!