Appomattox County, VA

On July 18, 2018, the Appomattox County Planning Commission announced that the Greater Lynchburg Islamic Association had withdrawn its petition for a conditional use permit to operate a cemetery on an 8-acre property zoned agricultural. The county’s planning commission had tabled the petition the previous month in response to strong opposition from residents.

Florian Pohl

2018

The Greater Lynchburg Islamic Association requested a CUP for an 8.05-acre property zoned A-1, Agricultural Zoning District. The parcel was designated Rural Preservation Area by the county’s Future Land Use Map in the Comprehensive Plan.

Withdrawn -- The County Planning Commission announced a month after it had tabled the petition that the property owner had withdrawn the CUP request.

On July 11, 2018, the Appomattox County Planning Commission announced that the Greater Lynchburg Islamic Association had withdrawn its petition for a conditional use permit (CUP) to operate a cemetery on an 8-acre property zoned agricultural. The county’s planning commission had tabled the petition the previous month in response to strong opposition from residents. The parcel in question was located in the Agricultural Zoning District (A-1) in an area designated Rural Preservation Area by the county’s Future Land Use Map in the Comprehensive Plan. At the same meeting during which the commission announced that the Islamic Association had withdrawn its CUP request, commissioners discussed a motion to increase the review requirements for “religious assemblies.”

Public opposition emerged in early June when the Islamic Association’s plan became public to operate a cemetery on a property at Double Bridges Road and Hundley Springs Road. On the local ABC channel’s Facebook page, the article reporting on the plan received hundreds of comments. While some Facebook users supported the project, most comments voiced opposition ranging from concerns over well water contamination and property values to statements targeting Islam and Muslims (Tyree and Hoffman, 2018, Jun 1). 

The county’s Planning Commission heard public comments on the project before a capacity crowd at its June 13 meeting. Residents spoke up in opposition to the project, citing the adverse impact on the neighborhood’s character, noise, traffic, and loss of property values. Concern over water contamination also featured prominently in remarks. One resident stated, "The bodies are not put into a casket or a vault. They're not embalmed. And that goes into our water" (Langlitz and Wilcox, 2018, Jun 13). In addition, opponents presented a petition signed by 395 citizens urging the commission to reject the CUP request. However, opponents made no explicitly anti-Muslim or anti-Islamic statements at the meeting. 

Islamic Association President Maqsud Ahmad introduced the cemetery project outlining the need, low impact, and adherence to local and state laws. Support came from a Lynchburg area pastor whose congregation had developed a positive relationship with the Islamic Association over the years. Ahmad expressed that the project would abide by all required regulations, including proper setbacks to ensure groundwater would not be affected. He also signaled the Islamic Association’s willingness to consider alternative burial methods saying, "We can come up with a plastic upside down or a concrete upside down [encasement], which is what they do in Charlottesville” (Langlitz and Wilcox, 2018, Jun 13).

The Planning Commission tabled the application following the county attorney’s recommendation to allow additional time for staff review. At the subsequent commission meeting in July, commissioners announced that the CUP request for the cemetery project had been withdrawn. Public documents do not offer information about the reasons for the withdrawal. At the same meeting, the Appomattox Planning Commission discussed proposed changes to the county’s zoning ordinances to increase the review requirements for “Religious Assemblies.” The amendments proposed changing the “Religious Assembly” land use category from permitted to conditional use in four zoning districts, including the Agricultural District (A-1). The change would not affect cemetery projects, which already were conditional use under the current zoning regulations. 

References

• Langlitz, R. and K. Wilcox (2018, June 13). Appomattox Co. Planning Commission hears community concerns for proposed cemetery. ABC 13 News. Retrieved from ​​https://wset.com/news/local/appomattox-co-planning-commission-hears-community-concerns-for-proposed-cemetery.
• Tyree, E. and  Ch. Hoffman (2018, June 1). Neighbors concerned about proposed cemetery infecting well water. ABC 13 News. Retrieved from https://wset.com/news/local/neighbors-concerned-about-proposed-cemetery-infecting-well-water?fbclid=IwAR0LmITKyCf58LUNMR-U8OVJ31EgiY-IpuMG9SdUl%E2%80%A6.