Developer sues Carmel over zoning plan

According to the Journal News, Paul Camarda, a Ridgefield, CT developer, has filed a lawsuit against the Town of Carmel over a new zoning code approved by the Town Board which increases the minimum residential lot size to 3 acres.  The town enacted a zoning code change, which has widespread support among residents, to slow housing growth in Carmel, which as the largest town in Putnam already is facing traffic and water quality issues.  Neighboring towns have taken similar steps to control residential development.

Camarda has said he has spent millions of dollars on proposed projects that now might not come to fruition. At stake is the number of housing units he can build in The Fairways, a proposed development on 93 acres within the Centennial Golf Club on Simpson Road.  Camarda is suing the town of Carmel as president of Hudson Valley Realty and Mid Hudson Realty and his development companies of C & C Meadowcrest Holding Corp. and Carmel Center Corp.