Proposed Crematory in Millersville Still Unresolved

The second round in a citizens appeal to stop a cremation business from opening in Millersville ended without a conclusion in sight on Wednesday night.

Maryland Cremation Services, to be located in an office park off Headquarters Drive in Millersville, has had its building and sewer permits appealed by nearby Shipley's Choice residents, who have fought against the business for months.

At the , attorneys called the business co-owner Dorota Marshall, to the witness stand.

On Wednesday, the Anne Arundel County Board of Appeals heard two additional witnesses regarding the case, including a planning administrator with the county, and an inspector with the state morticians’ board.

The attorney representing the Shipley’s Choice Homeowners Association, John Dougherty, continued his assault on details surrounding the business.

He called into question the legality of the business’ location, because it is in an office park, and not directly off of Veterans Highway. Funeral homes, according to county code, are allowed on arterial and collector roads, but not smaller “local” roads.

Suzanne Murphy, with the county's department of planning and zoning, clarified that point on Wednesday, saying county planners had determined the business was close enough to the highway for it to be a valid location for a funeral home.

“The location met the code, provided obviously that she (Marshall) be licensed as a funeral director,” Murphy said.

Board member William Moulden asked Murphy to clarify how her office determines whether a business of this nature is a funeral home first with a crematory as an accessory, or would it be considered primarily as a crematory - with a funeral home accessory.  Murphy said in this determination, they compared the application to an established crematory in Glen Burnie to make their decision.

Ruth-Anne Arty, an inspector for the Maryland Board of Morticians, testified that she had looked over the business and saw nothing out of place.

They met “all regulatory requirements,” for a funeral home, she said. However, Arty did note that the business had yet to secure a cremating license, because it could not yet apply for one.

The business currently meets the requirements for a funeral home under state regulations. But the addition of a crematory would require another process, she said.

Did the county approve of the business in consideration of it as a funeral home or a crematory? asked Moulden.

Murphy said they had considered that angle, and talked with the state officials in charge of funeral home licensure, determining in the end that “by their definition, they work as a funeral home.”

A third hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13, and Chairman William Knight said more hearings may be necessary.

Patch contributor Tammy Turner contributed to this story.