Gaithersburg residents riled by plan to convert house into crematorium, funeral parlor

"It may be time to leave, but not

before the next election," resident

writes to Mayor

DeVol Funeral Home at 10 East Deer Park Drive in Gaithersburg is seeking to expand its operations onto an adjoining property at 14 East Deer Park Drive, and neighbors are not too happy about it. The plan would convert the single-family home into "a funeral home, which includes viewing parlors and an associated crematorium." Gaithersburg's Mayor and Council are scheduled to take up the proposal at their virtual meeting tonight

The funeral home's plan would also add a new sidewalk in front of the property, and four new hackberry trees. Additional parking for the funeral home would be added. A staff report says the crematorium would be built onto the rear of the building at 14 East Deer Park.

"Here is yet another example of the 'anything goes' mentality that seems to plague this portion of Gaithersburg and backs up the notion of a tale of two cities," two nearby residents wrote to Mayor Jud Ashman. Some residents noted they have already been impacted by last year's approval of a Wawa convenience store and mega-gas-station.

"Once again, just as in the Wawa debacle, the neighborhood is becoming less attractive by the action and inaction of the Mayor and Council, with no opportunity for the citizens affected to be heard," a resident of Gaither Street wrote. "During the 48 years that my wife and I have lived in Gaithersburg we have seen the core of the City deteriorate. It may be time to leave, but not before the next election."

"This is close to our home and I’m seriously concerned about my family’s health due to the potential release of toxins," a resident of Cedar Avenue wrote, including an outline of research on the topic.

Because this is the first formal hearing on the proposal, city planning staff is not yet offering a recommendation on whether it should be approved or not.