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Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Crematory plans upset homeowners
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. 78 in Snellville is home to all sorts of operations. There are churches, fast-food restaurants, offices, used car dealerships, pharmacies and gas stations.
But news of a crematory that will face the highway but back up to an established neighborhood has upset homeowners and seemed to catch the city unaware.
Cremation Society of the South, which has locations in Marietta and Stockbridge, plans to open a crematory at the corner of U.S. 78 and Abington Drive in Snellville.
Renovations are under way at the building there - a basic brick ranch that was once a residence but now is zoned for offices and professional use.
I live not far from there and often pass that way on morning walks. Until this week, however, I didn’t realize the issue that was brewing.
Homeowners who live in Abington Park, one of Snellville’s earliest major neighborhoods, have been distributing flyers and talking, trying to get the word out.
But there is no rezoning to oppose, no variance to fight. The city’s zoning laws allow crematories in areas designated for office and professional, said Jason Thompson, Snellville’s city planner.
Not that city officials expected that to happen.
“Who would have figured they would put a crematorium at a location like that, right on a major highway,” said Snellville Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer.
Concerns over the issue will likely lead the city council to review the zoning ordinance that allowed it, he said.
That will not change what is occurring now, however.
Chris Nuzum, president of Cremation Society of the South, said he feels he is offering a service to the community and wants to be a good neighbor. He said he chose Snellville because it is east of I-285 and toward Athens. He verified the zoning before he started the project. And he is willing to work with nearby homeowners to address their concerns.
“I’ve told them, ‘Tell me what I can do other than leave, and we will do it,” he said. If they want more landscaping, if they want to meet and find out more about the operation, if they want a fence - he’s open to their suggestions. “I just want to do everything I can.”
“We’re not Wal-mart,” Nuzum said. “We are not going to bring in a tremendous amount of traffic.”
No public gatherings will be held at the location, he said, although visits by family members may occur.
Nuzum said he has spent $250,000 renovating and adapting the building and grounds. He has put in hardwood floors and carpeting and more.
But it was the large heat exhaust pipe coming out of the roof that caught most homeowners’ attention.
Bruce Maney and his wife Charlie live in the house directly behind the crematory. Their back yard adjoins the back yard of the site. The Maneys have lived in their home more than 30 years and their house is paid for.
They say they don’t have a problem with Nuzum and realize that he is a businessman. “But I can’t imagine anyone in their right mind thinking that this would be considered in the best interest” of the community, Bruce Maney said.
The operation is on a lot that is less than a half acre (.42 acres) Maney said, and is bordered by residences behind.
Across the highway is a gated community where children line up daily during the school year to catch the school bus. The driveway to the building, where deliveries would occur, is on a street that is largely residential.
“We just never dreamed that something like this would happen,” Bruce Maney said. “We never imagined not wanting to sit out in our back yard.”
Nuzum said the operation would not produce smoke or fumes. The technology is such that only heat is released. He is planning to screen the exhaust pipe so that it appears more like a traditional chimney. He also has installed fire suppression systems and other upgrades that are not required, he said.
He thinks the issue is more that the operation is called a crematory or crematorium, rather than any real impact the operation will have on the area.
“There are some people who see crematories and funeral homes as reverent facilities because they house loved ones,” he said.
Homeowners I have talked to, however, would feel more reverent about it from afar.
Some in the neighborhood have distributed flyers, Maney said. Some have contacted the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, which must issue a license before the crematorium can be operated, hoping for assistance there.
Matt Carrothers, director of media relations for the Secretary of State’s office said in issuing a license, the state board performs an inspection to make sure that the operation meets state regulations, but “The Board’s rules and regulations address items that must be in the crematory, not issues specific to the neighborhoods. The Board will not get involved in local zoning issues,” Carrothers said.
Snellville’s zoning laws regarding crematories do not carry some of the restrictions that other governments’ laws do. For example, in Suwanee, crematories are not an allowed use listed under zoning laws. They require a special use permit, said Josh Campbell, Suwanee city planner, which means specific approval by city leaders.
In Lawrenceville, crematories are listed in zoning laws three times. In one case they are prohibited from being in the downtown overlay district, said city planning director Brad Leonard. In the other two cases they would only be allowed with special approval by the city.
Because Snellville’s zoning laws allowed the usage, no special approval by the city was required.
Snellville Councilman Robert Jenkins said the city of Snellville cannot restrict a use if the zoning allows it. If it does, the city can be taken to court.
Jenkins, who owns a home within blocks of the site, said he hasn’t heard from many homeowners concerned about the project.
“I suspect that the more people find out about it, there will be more discussion.”
Nuzum expects the crematory to begin operating in August.
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