Where Is the Accountability? River Valley Estates (Foxcroft Village) Crisis Demands Town Action

Dear Friends,

In the heart of Loch Sheldrake, the residents of River Valley Estates, formerly known as Foxcroft Village, continue to endure a humanitarian crisis. For years, they’ve lived with contaminated water, raw sewage, illegal rent hikes, and neglect so extreme it has triggered multiple legal actions, including a major lawsuit now filed by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. And yet, at a recent public forum attended by the Attorney General’s Office, NYS Assembly member Paula Kay, and residents desperate for help, a glaring silence came from the very people who should be leading the response: Fallsburg’s town officials.

The Town Supervisor, two board members, the town attorney, and the head of Code Enforcement were all present. Not a single one of them spoke. Not one expressed concern. Not one offered help.

Filed on October 10, 2024, the State’s lawsuit accuses River Valley Estates, LLC, of exposing more than 200 residents to dangerous and unsanitary conditions, including contaminated water, sewage overflows, unsafe roads, and illegal rent hikes. The lawsuit seeks $2.3 million in restitution and nearly $300,000 in penalties for ongoing violations that stretch back years. It is the second time the State has gone to court over this park, the first in 2018, with many of the same unresolved problems resurfacing.

The septic systems at River Valley Estates are failing and leaking. The water, described by residents as putrid, oily, gritty, and sulfuric, is not safe to drink, bathe in, or cook with. A boil water order has been in effect since June 2024, and residents say tap water often appears brown or smells foul. Raw sewage backs up into homes and floods yards. The roads are crumbling. The electricity is unreliable. Meanwhile, residents, many of them low-income, are forced to buy bottled water just to survive.

Residents are not just being neglected; they’re being exploited. The lawsuit reveals that from 2019 to 2023, residents were subjected to illegal fees: mid-lease rent increases, improper garbage charges, and even credit card surcharges, all in violation of New York housing law.

“This isn’t just a tenant dispute,” said Assistant Attorney General Justin Haines at the forum. “This is a violation of the warranty of habitability, the legal right to live in safe and livable conditions.” He emphasized that the owners were told in 2018 to find help to identify leaks. “So it’s sort of unacceptable that there are still leaks.” This is a public health emergency happening in the Town of Fallsburg.

What is even more alarming is the proximity of this mobile home park to the Neversink    River, a major tributary of the Delaware River, part of a federally protected watershed. Failing septic systems are likely to leak sewage into the ground, raising serious fears that contaminants are entering the groundwater, and potentially, nearby surface waters. These risks don’t just affect the residents of River Valley Estates. They could threaten everyone in the area who depends on clean water and a healthy ecosystem.

Although the lawsuit is being handled at the state level, that does not excuse inaction at the local level. The Town of Fallsburg has legal obligations under public health and building safety codes. The Code Enforcement Department should have been monitoring River Valley Estates. The Town Board should be working with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Department of Health (DOH) to demand immediate investigations and environmental testing. Instead, the silence is deafening.

Residents report that speaking out has led to retaliation, including threats of eviction, fines, or even racist remarks. Others say repairs are only cosmetic or incomplete, and that the basic infrastructure remains broken.
 
Assembly member Paula Kay acknowledged residents’ frustration with the slow pace of legal action and noted that help was on the way. She pledged to coordinate with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley for additional legal support, recognizing that some claims may require private lawsuits to seek full compensation. “We’re all in this together,” she said. “This has gone on too long.”

The Town of Fallsburg needs to wake up. The residents of River Valley Estates have waited long enough. They deserve clean water, functioning infrastructure, and safe homes. If the Town continues to remain passive, it is complicit in the suffering of these residents and in any future environmental damage that spreads from this site. The longer the Town fails to act, the more it appears that their silence is one of indifference.

There will be an election for Town Board this fall. Several current members will be running for re-election. Fallsburg Future has decided to publish a weekly newsletter highlighting the issues that face the residents and the town. Each newsletter will highlight a particular topic of concern as well as an overview of a particular issue. We have had technical issues with our email service. It has been corrected and you are able to respond to this email.

Fallsburg's Future is a community network of concerned Fallsburg residents established in January 2016. Its Mission is to help guide the urban development of the town of Fallsburg and its five hamlets, to promote its sustainable economic development, protect the fragile beauty of its natural habitats and enhance the opportunities and quality of life for all its residents and visitors. We hope to curb the suburban sprawl that is threatening to overwhelm the town’s physical infrastructure and destroy the natural beauty that the area depends on for its future development. See us on Facebook and our website Fallsburgsfuture.com.