With two Ramapo villages at odds with the Town of Ramapo, the special ward election on September 30 takes on an interesting color. Would an expanded Town Council with locally elected members have made any difference in how the town and villages communicate related to pressing development and tax issues?

The Village of Sloatsburg will have its first village board meeting of September Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall. The tentative agenda is filled with items related to municipal infrastructure upgrades and development issues — including the Tuxedo Farms YMCA proposal, sewer progress and updates on Hazelwood and Hillside drainage improvements.

Sloatsburg filed a lawsuit against Ramapo in State Supreme Court in New City in mid-August that charges the town’s Planning and Zoning Board approval process related to the proposed Woodmont Properties apartment complex, slated for just south of Sloatsburg.

According to a report by Lohud’s Akiko Matsuda, in the filing Sloatsburg states that the town’s Planning and Zoning Board Woodmont decision was “arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion in excess of the … board’s jurisdiction and in violation of lawful procedure.”

During the P&Z Board public hearings, Sloatsburg argued that the proposed 384 unit apartment was out of character with the current community makeup of Western Ramapo.

The Village of Suffern continues its Public Hearing on the Orange Avenue Development at Monday’s scheduled board meeting at 7 p.m. At last week’s Public Hearing, the Suffern Board moved to delay any vote on the proposed Transit Development District zoning change that would benefit the specific block of properties included in the Orange Avenue Development proposal.

The proposal would build 91 luxury apartments on the block of properties now occupied by the Hotel Lafayette and five other designated properties. The Suffern board delayed any zoning change consideration until the Ramapo Central School District was able to negotiate with the Town of Ramapo over its recently passed PILOT agreement that failed to include participation by Ramapo Central. The Ramapo PILOT as it stands constrains Ramapo Central’s taxing authority related the proposed Suffern project.

“We still do not have a zone change,” said Suffern Mayor Trish Abato at last week’s Public Hearing. “Without a zone change the project cannot go forward,” said Mayor Abato. “In the interest of everyone, the board has decided to postpone it (the zone change vote) until Monday night’s board meeting at 7 p.m.”