Hundreds of residents from the Monroe and Kiryas Joel communities attended a hearing Monday night over a controversial land deal to expand the Kiryas Joel village.

The meeting was the first time both communities have met together with village officials. It is necessary for the environmental review process that Kiryas Joel was given control of.

Residents and lawmakers from both sides were very vocal during the meeting, with those against it accusing the mayor and village board of being unable to lead an objective review. Those in favor defended the plan, with a resident calling it “painful” that the application for annexation has been put on hold since last December.

Some of the concerns brought up during the meeting included water and sewers, high-density housing and possible future expansion plans. The issues will be addressed in the environmental review.

(Source: News 12)