SEBASTIAN — A special use permit for a columbarium – a structure with recesses in the walls to hold cremated remains – was granted to Sebastian Christian Church by the Sebastian City Council Wednesday evening, in keeping with the recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Board.
The 910-square-foot memorial chapel and columbarium make up Phase II of a three-phase building project which also includes a 1,216-square-foot storage building in Phase I and an 8,154-square-foot fellowship hall expansion in Phase III.
Phase III would also incorporate improvements to parking, stormwater handling and landscaping, and is expected to get under way about five years into the project.
Because the Sebastian Land Development Code does not have a use code for a columbarium, a special use permit was required.
Amy Banov, of Banov Architects, on behalf of the church, told Council that “cremation is a growing trend,” and assured them that columbariums “are not that unusual” and are exempt from any Florida Statutes that relate to cemeteries and mausoleums.
“It is merely ashes – very inert,” she said. “There is no warning label, no health hazard.”
She added that many families keep loved ones’ ashes “on mantels or bookshelves. Some people would like a sacred place” (such as a columbarium) in which to keep and visit their loved one’s remains.
The ashes themselves, she continued, would be kept in containers placed inside designated niches within the columbarium, inside the chapel, and the exterior would be constructed and properly landscaped to blend with the surroundings.
Community Development Manager Jan King told the Council the use is consistent with the purpose and intent of the district, and with the comprehensive plan and would not be detrimental to public safety, health or welfare.
Councilman Jerome Adams was the lone dissenter to the special use permit. He expressed concern about increased traffic in the area, “close to schools and residences,” when people come to visit their loved ones’ remains.