BETHEL — The Planning and Zoning Commission repealed Tuesday night a regulation allowing moratorium applications in the industrial park zone, but the ban will not stop Monocrete’s request to turn its business into a crematorium.
The public hearing on that application was continued to May 26.
The commission voted 4-3 to reverse its July 2014 decision to allow crematorium use at Francis J. Clarke Business Park and to immediately set a one-year moratorium on any new crematorium applications. The vote does not affect Monocrete’s application process because its latest bid was filed in April.
Dozens of residents, including several business owners, spoke against the proposed crematorium at the meeting. Many of them expressed concern with property values, health hazards and environmental risks.
Shawn McLoughlin, who owns Monocrete, has said the changing funeral industry has led more people to opt for cremation over burial, since cremation is cheaper and takes up less cemetery space. His business produces a variety of products, including burial vaults, at 12 Trowbridge Drive. He now wants to add a new building on the site to perform cremations.