651 Lakes LLC Is Back Before The Monroe Town Board On April 1st
Read up on the project so that they don't try to pull a fast one before the Town Board at the meeting.
Here’s a fun fact about lawyers: They’re not allowed to lie.
*Insert jokes and references to national politics here.*
Ok. Did everyone get that out of their system?
Good. Because we’re revisiting our friends at US Asia Global Inc. (Oak Wood Subdivision LLC / Meadow Hill Subdivision LLC / 651 Lakes LLC.)
That’s because, at the next Monroe Town Board meeting, Supervisor Cardone, Councilman Scancerlo, and Councilwoman Houle (representing the majority) are going to decide whether or not to approve the short term rental application for 651 Lakes.
And, in a perfect world, that decision would be based entirely on the facts.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, and the legal representative for 651 Lakes LLC has refused to answer my questions. This is despite stating publicly at a previous Town Board meeting that he and his client would be willing to answer questions from the public.
We’ll get back to that in a second. But first, a recap of where we are in dealing with yet another shady corporation trying to push through a development project.
Oak Wood Subdivision In Chester
Let’s rewind the clock back to the Chester Town Board meeting on March 13th, 2024.
During the meeting, Alec R. Gladd from the law firm of Cuddy+ Feder spoke on behalf of Oakwood Subdivision LLC.
Mr. Gladd referred to Oak Wood Subdivision as a “small” subdivision numerous times during his presentation. You and I know that’s not the case.
He also stated that Oak Wood would be located in the most restrictive zoning district in the town.
Mr. Gladd did a great job for his client. Honestly, I’d hire him.
Gladd didn’t lie. What he did instead was leave certain things out.
We can split hairs over whether or not that’s a lie of omission, but for for today’s post, I’m going to say this is what all lawyers do: They stress the points they want and downplay everything else.
For example: Mr. Gladd stated that Oakwood Subdivision is in the most restrictive zoning area the Town of Chester has. What he didn’t mention was, at the Town of Chester Planning Board meeting, he and his associate discussed with the Planning Board futzing with the acreage of the proposed project. This change would have allowed Oak Wood Subdivision to skirt requirements by the Department of Health to have the water tested as part of the development process.
Which, is kind of important, given that the subdivision would be built on part of what was a landfill.
So, yeah, you are in the most restrictive zoning area, but you’re also trying to find loop holes to get around some of those restrictive requirements at the same time.
That’s how good lawyers play the game. Unfortunately for Mr. Gladd, he lost. The moratorium passed.
That means Us Asia Global Inc. and friends now need Monroe to do what Chester (temporarily) will not: Approve their projects.
651 Lakes LLC
This is the first of two Monroe projects. Meadow Hill Subdivision’s status before the planning board is still TBD.
Monroe Town Planning Board Chairwoman Franson has not responded to numerous emails and phone calls requesting comment on Meadow Hill Subdivision.
Jonathan DeJoy is the legal representative for 651 Lakes LLC. He’s an associate of Catania, Mahon & Rider, PLLC.
Given Mr. Gladd highlighting certain points while downplaying others, I believe a similar tactic will be deployed at the upcoming Town Board meeting by Mr. DeJoy.
So, today, I’d like to pre-empt that by restating some facts concerning 651 Lakes.
I hope readers will use this information to question Mr. DeJoy at the upcoming Monroe Town Board meeting on Monday, April 1st, at 7pm.
651 Lakes LLC belongs to Mr. Joseph Breier.
Question #1
The address provided to Orange County for 651 Lakes LLC is 651 Lakes Rd, Monroe NY 10950; however, the actual corporate address is 1166 44th street in Brooklyn. This is what’s listed with New York State.
That specific building, 1166 44th Street, has 12 open violations with New York City.
It is not clear who owns that building.
So, Mr. DeJoy may get away with saying Joseph Breier and David Breier do not own it.
However, given the unknown ownership of the building, and that it is out of compliance with New York City, this should be met with some skepticism. Especially by the Town Board members who will cast a deciding vote on the application.
To be blunt: If you don’t own this building or reside there, why would you list it as your corporate address with New York State?
Question #2
According to data provided by BeenVerified.com, Mr. Joseph Breier lived at 1220 44th Street in Brooklyn. This building is owned by Mr. David Breier. According to BeenVerified, Joseph and David are related.
Could that data be wrong? Sure.
But this is something Mr. DeJoy may try to downplay, since Mr. David Breier is responsible for both Meadow Hill Subdivision LLC and Oak Woods Subdivision LLC.
So, it’s important for Monroe residents to ask Mr. DeJoy at the upcoming meeting:
How are Joseph Breier and David Breier related? Are they father and son? If so, how can you argue that Mr. Joseph Breier has no relation or association with these other projects?
Did Mr. Joseph Breier reside at 1220 44th Street in Brooklyn? This is a building — According to the documents below — That is owned by Mr. David Breier.
It would be false, and reportable to the New York State Bar Association, if Mr. DeJoy were to state that neither party owns a building in Brooklyn.
It may also be false, and reportable to the New York State Bar Association, for Mr. DeJoy to state that the two Breier’s are not related or associated in any form.
So, you’re all going to want to watch his answers closely.
On November 24th, 2021, according to the New York City Department of Finance, Mr. David Breier purchased 1220 44th Street in Brooklyn for just over a million dollars.
Less than a month later, Mr. Breier paid off the Mortgage on this building.
Question #3
There was a new electrical system installed by 651 Lakes LLC. Is this electrical system in compliance with 2020 PMCNYS section 604.2? Who did this work? What is the license number for the electrician who did this work?
The above was asked by Mrs. Yolanda Carrion to the Town of Monroe Building Inspector, and she has not received an answer to this question.
Mr. DeJoy stating that the work was done by a licensed electrician, but not providing the name and license number of that electrician, should be met with skepticism.
What Should You Do?
Well, for starters, you should go to the Town Board Meeting on Monday, April 1st, at 7pm and make sure these questions are sufficiently answered.
Mr. DeJoy will absolutely try to get the short term rental application approved on entirely technical grounds, and downplay the complaints and concerns that have been raised by neighbors and residents in the area.
That’s his right, and his client’s right.
However …
It’s also the right of the public to have these questioned answered truthfully and with full transparency.
Otherwise, the application request is being made on fraudulent grounds, and that alone should be enough for the Town Board to deny it.
One more suggestion …
Councilwoman Dorey Houle can be emailed at dhoule@monroeny.org
She is running for State Senator James Skoufis’s seat.
Given how tight the election is going to be, I think it’s worth writing to Councilwoman Houle, while also copying Councilwoman Richardson, to veto this application.
The neighbors don’t want it. They are already having problems with the numerous short term rentals in the immediate area. And the Town does not have sufficient code enforcement abilities or staff, not to mention, no police to enforce those rules.
Until that situation is remedied, each short term rental application needs to be examined carefully.
This would not be an issue if we had the staff and police to make sure everyone was following the rules and being respectful of their neighbors.
But for now, it’s an issue.
Feel free to copy and paste the following message to Councilwoman Houle.
Email: dhoule@monroeny.org, mrichardson@monroeny.org, mbingham@monroeny.org
Subject: Vote No on 651 Lakes Rental Application
Copy:
Councilwoman Houle,
On Monday, April 1st, you will have the opportunity to vote on an application for a short term rental, submitted on behalf of 651 Lakes LLC.
I am requesting that you vote to reject this application.
Numerous neighbors surrounding the property have expressed concern, both before the board and to the Town of Monroe Building Inspector, about adding yet another short term rental to their neighborhood.
As Mr. and Mrs. Carrion stated at a recent Town Board meeting, there are already 17 short term rentals in less than a mile from the proposed location of 651 Lakes.
Currently, the Town of Monroe does not have a police presence of its own that can help enforce the rules and regulations concerning this and other rental properties in the area on the weekends and in the evenings.
This lack of enforcement has resulted in residents expressing their concern about noise, garbage, and other behavior that is disruptive to their way of life.
In addition, there is reason to believe that 651 Lakes LLC is connected to the larger Meadow Hill Subdivision LLC project, and the neighboring Oak Wood Subdivision LLC project in Chester.
What appears to be happening is an attempt by a company known as US Asia Global Inc. to acquire land and property surrounding the proposed Henry Farms development. Whether their intention is to then re-sell that property to the Henry Farms developer, Highview Properties D.H.F. Inc. is not known at this time.
What is known is that the corporate address provided to New York State by 651 Lakes LLC belongs to a building with an unknown owner. That building, 1166 44th Street in Brooklyn, also has 12 open violations with New York City’s Housing Preservation & Development. Why would 651 Lakes LLC provide this address and then claim they do not own or occupy space in this building?
Mr. Joseph Breier, the applicant, is listed by BeenVerified.com — a reputable and nationally recognized background check company — as having resided at 1220 44th Street in Brooklyn. This building is owned by Mr. David Breier, who is the applicant for both Meadow Hills Subdivision and Oak Wood Subdivision in Chester. It is not clear how Joseph and David are related, but data provided by BeenVerified suggests that they are. Therefore, it would be false to claim that the applicant for 651 Lakes is not associated with these other projects in some capacity. It would also be false to claim that neither Breier owns a building in Brooklyn.
For this reason, I am requesting you deny the application as submitted. When the Town of Monroe is able to provide adequate code enforcement and/or a stepped up police presence to ensure the safety of town residents surrounding the rental properties, the applicant may re-submit and try again. Hopefully with additional transparency in the future.
(Put your name here)