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Mounds View Planning Commission February 18, 2015 Regular Meeting Page 3 ________________________________________________________________________ B. Discuss a Potential Code Amendment to Allow Columbaria Planning Associate Heller informed the Commission that a Mounds View church member recently contacted the City to inquire if a columbarium would be allowed on the church property. Their church was considering adding a columbarium and the church member said many churches are now considering installing a columbarium for their patrons. They are considering one or two structures that would be about 10 feet long and 6 feet tall. Many funeral homes report that more than 50% of deaths now result in cremation rather than a burial, so it is understandable that more places are needed to store urns. Mounds View does not currently have any cemeteries, nor does the City Code address cemeteries or columbaria. Associate Heller explained that a columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns (i.e. urns holding a deceased’s cremated remains). Today's columbaria can be either freestanding units, or part of a mausoleum or another building. Some manufacturers produce columbaria that are built entirely off-site and brought to the cemetery by a large truck. Many modern crematoria have columbaria. In other cases, columbaria are built into church structures. She discussed the matter in further detail and requested comment from the Commission. Chair Stevenson stated he had only seen columbaria as part of a cemetery. He had concerns with a columbarium being added to a church and then the church leaving the community. Associate Heller stated that language could be added to address this concern. Commissioner Love suggested that if a church were to move out of the community, it could be required that the columbarium also be removed. Associate Heller believed that family members would want to pick up the urns prior to them being moved out of the City. Council Liaison Meehlhause suggested a conditional use permit be required for the columbarium. Associate Heller did not recommend a conditional use permit be required as this would be an expense for the church and would also require a public hearing and is more review than needed for this use. Chair Stevenson wanted to be assured that a structure was built in a pleasing manner that met the City’s building requirements. Commissioner Schiltgen agreed and wanted to see staff review plans prior to being built. Further discussion ensued regarding the preferred building materials for columbaria.