Crematorium proposal scheduled to be heard by Middletown’s Planning Board

An applicant’s plan to build a crematorium at a cemetery bordered by Route 35 and Oak Hill Road in Middletown is scheduled to be heard by the Middletown Township Planning Board on March 20.

The application proposing the construction of the crematorium was scheduled to be heard by the board on Feb. 20, according to a legal notice published on behalf of Fair View Cemetery by attorney Michael B. Steib of Middletown.

On Feb. 14, a Planning Board official said the crematorium application would not be heard as scheduled and would be carried to the board’s March 20 meeting.

The legal notice states that the cemetery’s administrators have applied to the Planning Board for minor site plan and conditional use permit approval to permit the cemetery to construct a 30-foot by 50-foot crematorium building.

The building would include a receiving area, a restroom, a refrigeration unit and two cremation chambers. The proposed site improvements also include a 20-foot-wide driveway with two parking spaces and a detached generator pad.

The property is in Middletown’s R-22 zone and the proposed use is a permitted conditional use in the zone. The application meets zoning and conditional use requirements and no variances are required, according to the legal notice published by Steib.

In an interview on Feb. 14, resident Daniel Minoli, who has lived in Middletown for 25 years, said he received a letter from Steib notifying him of the Planning Board hearing because his home is within 200 feet of the proposed crematorium. He said three of his neighbors also received the letter.

Minoli said he is concerned about possible negative environmental impacts resulting from mercury emissions from the crematorium. He is also concerned about the possible impact of the crematorium on the health of children who attend schools in the vicinity of the proposed site.

Minoli said the crematorium would be 100 feet from the Poricy Park Nature Center at 345 Oak Hill Road.

“While the kids will be learning about nature, they are going to be exposed to toxins,” he said.