After extensive debate and two public hearings, the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners has settled on change regulations governing the location and operation of crematories in the county.
The revised guidelines approved unanimously at Tuesday night’s meeting limit stand-alone crematories to light industrial and heavy industrial zoning districts. Crematories operated as an accessory to a funeral home will be permitted in general commercial zoning districts, provided that their retort exhausts are located at least 1,000 feet from a residential subdivision’s property lines. They’ll also have to comply with any federal and state air quality and emissions standards.
Commissioners earlier debated establishing filtering requirements specific to crematory emissions, but opted not to, said planning director Jeff Watkins
The revised regulations also decree a crematory can only front on a collector, or major street or state highway, and any entrances and exits can be only on those roads.
Reconsideration of the standards began after Towne Lake residents mobilized to fight announced plans for a funeral home and adjacent crematorium in the neighborhood.
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