Burlington’s city council has given its unanimous blessing to a rezoning request that will allow Lowe Funeral Home and Crematory to expand its operations to the former family residence of the company’s founders.
The council voted 5-to-0 on Tuesday to apply a limited form of office and institutional zoning to this single-family dwelling, whose location at 104 Shannon Drive abuts the funeral home’s existing grounds along South Church Street.
David Beal, an employee of the funeral home who once worked for Burlington’s planning department, informed the council that the company’s request will enable the funeral home to use this residence for “selection rooms and arrangement offices.” Beal added that, for all intents and purposes, this change will be invisible to the external observer.
“We’re not planning to add any new commercial structures to the property,” he went on to explain. “There’s no anticipated increase in traffic…and our goal is to maintain the residential character of the house from the street view.”
In addition to funeral-related services, Lowe has also requested permission to use the home as a single-family residence, a “live/work dwelling,” and a generic professional office. Beal informed the council that these three ancillary uses are “forward-thinking options” for the company to consider should circumstances change in the future.
The council approved the request by a margin of 5-to-0.
