Snellville, GA

Following public protest in 2015, the Gwinnett County Commission votes unanimously to deny the Community of Bosniaks’ petition for a cemetery. The Community of Bosniaks declined to appeal the denial, although the county’s staff review and planning commission had recommended approval with conditions.

Geneva Cunningham, Ben Damon, and Sofia Fonti

2015

The Community of Bosniaks Georgia attempted to build a cemetery on a 12.59-acre plot zoned for single-family residences. Although the site met zoning requirements for a place of worship, cemetery use required a special use permit. The proposed cemetery project consisted of a 4,000 square-foot worship facility, 2,050 burial plots, and a parking lot.

The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to deny the petition, and the Muslim community decided not to appeal but to look for a different property. County staff and the planning commission had recommended approval with conditions, such as dropping the number of plots from the proposed 2,050 to 500.

Narrative 

In October 2015, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners denied a special use permit to the Community for Bosniaks Georgia for a cemetery development in a sparsely-populated suburban community near Snellville, GA. The Community of Bosniaks sought the cemetery for members of the organization, which predominantly includes Muslim Bosnian immigrants that settled in Gwinnett County following the Balkan Wars (Poole, 2006, May 24). The 12.59-acre cemetery project, which would have accommodated 2,050 burial plots and a 4,000 square-foot worship facility for funeral services, would have been the first Bosnian cemetery in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The site met zoning requirements for a place of worship, but cemetery use required a special use permit. Although the county’s Planning Department and the Planning Commission had recommended approval, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissions denied the permit on October 27, following a month-long citizen-led campaign against the cemetery. The Community for Bosniaks did not appeal the rejection, opting instead to search for a different property. 

Public opposition emerged early in the review process. County officials fielded phone calls and emails urging them to reject the project. Homes surrounding the lot had bright red yard signs, “Save our community, no cemetery.” Facebook comments raised suspicion of “these types of people in our community” (Kass, 2015, Oct 27). Public opposition continued at the October 6 Planning Commission meeting, drawing a standing-room-only crowd. A Norcross resident, Joe Newton, circulated a petition “in opposition to the mosque” (Yeomans, 2015, Oct 6). Residents voiced concerns about increased traffic burden, noise complaints, and an expected decrease in property values. They cited the conclusions of a hired real estate appraiser estimating the depreciation in property value at 6-38 percent (ibid.). Members of the Community of Bosniaks addressed the concerns at the meeting. Ultimately, the Planning Commission followed the Planning Department and recommended the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners approve the special use permit with conditions. Those conditions included a maximum of 500 burial plots, a minimum distance of 150 feet between graves and the property line, and the use of the worship facility exclusively for funeral services (ibid.). 

Despite the Planning Commission’s recommendation for approval, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners denied the petition. At its public meeting on October 27, the Commission voted unanimously to reject the cemetery application without providing an official explanation for the denial. One committee member subsequently cited last-minute changes by the applicant as reasons (Kauffman, 2015, Oct 28). Despite their disappointment, the Community of Bosniaks stated they did not intend to appeal the decision but planned to look elsewhere for a suitable cemetery property (Kass, 2015, Oct 28). The cemetery project continued to be a point of debate in Snellville’s mayoral and city council elections in November 2015.  

References

• Kass, A. (2015, October 28). Bosnian leader says he won't challenge Gwinnett cemetery denial.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/158C784EDC727880.
• Kass, A. (2015, October 27). Muslims seek rezoning for cemetery: Gwinnett commission expected to decide on contentious issue. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, p. B1. Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/158BCA2D87660330.
• Kauffman, J. (2015, Oct 28). Gwinnett denies group’s bid for mostly Muslim cemetery. WABE News. Available at https://www.wabe.org/gwinnett-denies-group-s-bid-mostly-muslim-cemetery.
• Poole, S. M. (2006, May 24). Building on faith: Muslims will worship, grow in new mosques. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, p. F1. Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/111D0362B42A41B0.
• Yeomans, C. (2015, October 6). Planning commissioners OK Bosnian cemetery over community objections. Gwinnett Daily Post. Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/1585411960AB6740.

April 12, 2022