Tyrone Township, MI

In November 2017, the Tyrone Township Planning Commission held a public meeting at which a Muslim developer’s proposal for a green cemetery was discussed. The proposal drew critique from residents primarily concerned with the potential impact on groundwater. After commissioning an Environmental Impact Report, the developer submitted a revised proposal to the commission in March 2018. The revised plan lowered the number of burial sites, increased open space, located burial sites farther away from the property line, and established limited hours of operation. The Township Board unanimously approved the revised site plan in June 2018, though opposition continued at subsequent board meetings and in the local press.

Ryan Wang

2017

Development on 10 acres of land; original plan for 3,847 gravesites, later reduced to about 1,500.

On June 19, 2018, the Board voted 5-0 to approve the special land use permit for the proposed 1,500-plot cemetery.

In November 2017, Hasan Siddiqui submitted his initial plan for a ten-acre cemetery with a maximum of 3,847 gravesites on his family-owned property in Tyrone Township, MI, open to everyone, regardless of their faith.

On November 14, 34 residents attended the Tyrone Township Planning Commission’s meeting to discuss the proposed cemetery project, voicing their concerns about groundwater contamination, lowered property values, and excessive noise (Jagielo, 2017, Nov 17). Every property in the surrounding area is on a well, and neighbors believed that a traditional Muslim burial in which bodies are wrapped in a shroud and placed directly into the earth with a stone placed on top would negatively affect their water supply (Jagielo, 2018, Mar 20). In response to the residents’ concerns, Tyrone Township planner Brian Keesey stated that there is no definitive evidence of cemeteries' positive or negative effect on property values (Jagielo, 2017, Nov 17). No vote was taken at the Planning Commission meeting. The next month, Livingston County took soil borings and studied the flow and direction of the water to determine the cemetery’s effect on the neighborhood’s groundwater (Controversial “green cemetery” approved, 2018, Jun 22). Afterward, the cemetery was cleared as being safe. County regulations state that burial sites must be at least 75 feet from a residential well, which the site exceeded (Jagielo, 2018, Sep 6). 

In March 2018, Siddiqui submitted a revised proposal to the Planning Commission, which reduced the size of the cemetery to 1,589 graves, increased the amount of open space, located burial sites farther from the road, and established set hours of operation to ensure that heavy machinery would not be operated in the evening (Jagielo, 2018, Mar 20). The Planning Commission sent the proposal to Livingston County officials to clarify if the revised plan met county requirements. On June 19, the Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 to approve the special land use permit for the cemetery (Controversial “green cemetery” approved, 2018, Jun 22). Despite the approval, it was reported that opposition towards the cemetery continued at subsequent board meetings and in the local press (Jagielo, 2018, Sep 6).

After obtaining state approval and developing the land, the Rawda Cemetery has been built and is fully operational.

References

• Controversial “green” cemetery approved in Tyrone Township. (2018, June 22). Tri-County Times. Web.
• Jagielo, T. (2017, November 17). Community debates proposed Muslim-run cemetery. Tri-County Times. Web.
• Jagielo, T. (2018, March 20). Muslim-run cemetery plan revised. Tri-County Times. Web.
• Jagielo, T. (2018, September 6). Would you live next to a “green” cemetery? Tri-County Times. Web.

June 12, 2024