Commissioners Set to Vote on Crematorium Plans

The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners will hear two zoning cases during their Tuesday evening, including a proposed crematorium that would open on East Cherokee Drive.

Although the measure passed the Cherokee County Planning Commission by a five-to-four margin on June 4, final approval of the project must be given by the Commissioners during their meeting tonight, which begins at 6 p.m. in the Cherokee County Administration Building in Canton.
The Commissioners will also host a work session, which will begin at 3 p.m. at the same location.

If approved, the crematorium would be built on a .5 acre plot located at 10685 E. Cherokee Drive in the Macedonia community. The site is currently occupied by the Macedonia Memorial Park and is only around 1,500 feet from Macedonia Elementary School.

Milton resident James Bartley Williams, president and owner of Pleasant Hollow Gardens LLC, said in his application letter that the county lacks sufficient cremation capacity, especially in light of Cherokee's rapid growth. There is only one other crematorium in Cherokee County, which is located at Lakeside Funeral Home in Woodstock.

If the Commissioners second the approval given by the Planning and Zoning Commission, Williams expects the crematorium to be operational by August of this year.

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted to deny a rezoning request from neighborhood center to growth center for a proposed gas station and convenience store that would be located at 2333 Cumming Highway on a 3.5 acre site. The change was requested by Peach Consolidated Properties, LLC.

The Commissioners will also conduct a public hearing on potential changes to the county's impact fee ordinance. The changes would affect Chapter 32, Article II and alter the fees in the schedule. The public is encouraged to weigh in on this matter.
The most recent county impact fee schedule has been attached to this article.

In other business, the commissioners will vote on whether or not to: