“The burden was substantial,” Judge Richard Posner wrote. “If a land decision -- in this case the denial of a zoning variance -- imposes a substantial burden on religious exercise…and that decision maker cannot justify it, the inference arises that hostility to religion, or more likely to a particular sect, influenced the decision.”
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Hmph - - - with this kind of thinking going on in our country, do you really still want to screw around with the Federal Courts or do you want to - - -
Condemn the Land Now Before It Is Too Late???
Choose Now - - - It is our towns funeral if we choose wrong - - - and it sure looks to me like we are "choosing wrong!"
ps - there will not be much consolation for me and a few others in our town in being able to tell the rest of you a few years from not that we told you so! Naive and sad.
He will no doubt sue either way we procceed - why do you think he would not sue if we simply condemn the land Rat? I say f-him, there are many compelling arguments that can be made as to why this has nothing to do with race and color - it's not in Rockaway's best public interest to allow this massive re-development on this site.
p.s. - the DEP will be forced to reverse the "exemption" after our day in court - unless mR iNTEGRITY scales back big time...but then he is back to multiple shows, one of his major points is about celebrating together with the 6000 plus congregants. You cannot have your cake and eat it too rev...
The DEP will never reverse itself. Learn to swim or drown on our own - - - do not look to the state government to bail us out of this mess. It will never happen.
The DEP need not "reverse" anything - but simply enforce its own letter. There are issues surrounding this land that are unlike any other RLUIPA case yet - and therefore you can not compare us to any of them. We have a "compelling governmental interest" in that we must uphold the Highlands Law and protect drinking water.
Hang on folks it is going to get more interesting before too long!
I can tell you that both Chuck and I (and maybe others too) wrote nice letters to both the DEP and the Governor expressing our concerns about this exemption. Neither of us even received a letter of receipt from either entities. What I find unusual about that is based on my past experience. I have written the Governors office about other issues in the past and have received replies (from members of his staff) but not this time. I believe that Chuck sent his letters first, and then I followed suit a day later aproximately in late October (if memory serves me correctly), - - - (around the end of the McGreevy administration). I think that Chuck and I both posted our letters here on the bbs for all to see. I am also certain that both of us would have been pleased to share any responses to those letters with everyone had they come.
I have a complete copy of the DEP file - as permitted by the states open records act - Chucks letter is part of the file, his is the only letter in the file from a resident. You may want to resubmit your letter as it appears it did not get to the proper location.
As a point of interest all letters recieved in opposition to the exemption were received AFTER the exemption was granted. However it is clear based on testimony and the actual application that the "null and void" portion of the exemption letter is now in play. This will mean that CC will have to resubmit to the DEP for a new exemption or comply with the Highlands Act. However with the total sq footage and the intensity of use of the project (that was previously under stated) it is not likley that the exemption will be granted.
Lisa
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The truth wins out over slick PR and personal attacks.
The Christ Church Plan for the redevelopment of 140 Green Pond Rd is just too big for the area.
I submitted both of my letters (one to the Gov. and the other to the DEP) electronically. I did not snail mail them, because there is a facility that provides for that online. I wonder if that is why it does not show up? Anyway, I no longer have copies of those letters; however, they should be somewhere on this bbs but probably very difficult to find at this point in time. Do you have a way to discover if electronic letters are generally included in the DEP file? Please advise.
The file was to contain all communications on the matter. I had sent electronic communications and it was included in the file. I saw nothing from you in the documents.
This would not include items sent to the Gov. only to the DEP.
Lisa
__________________
The truth wins out over slick PR and personal attacks.
The Christ Church Plan for the redevelopment of 140 Green Pond Rd is just too big for the area.
