Planner LoQita Willums recommended approval of a conditional-use permit to allow a columbarium at an existing place of worship in the ARE2 zoning district in Sandy Springs, while members of the public raised concerns about screening, noise, trespass and property values.

The staff recommendation was presented during a Planning Commission public hearing; staff said the permit could be approved subject to a set of conditions, including maintaining screening plantings, parking- and drive-aisle screening, and compliance with applicable cemetery and funeral-services regulations noted in the staff report.

LoQita Willums, identified in the presentation as a planner, told the commission that staff had reviewed the application and recommended approval with edits to several conditions. Willums said conditions numbered 3A and 3B were to remain unchanged, while language in conditions 3C and 3D had been edited. The staff presentation described screening for parking lots and drive aisles adjacent to residential properties, and said the applicant must install and maintain plantings that meet the city’s approval. The presentation also noted that some text from a previous use permit remained and that highlighted amendments appeared in the staff packet.

The applicant, identified in the hearing as Sinsta Brove, and representatives discussed the project’s layout and the planned location of the columbarium within the existing campus. Staff described the proposed work as an addition to an existing development; the presentation referenced site elevations and the need to screen new features from nearby homes.

Several residents spoke during public comment. A resident who identified themselves as representing neighbors on Drive (identified in the record as part of a drive-group) criticized the proposal’s potential impacts, citing noise, trespass, nighttime light and reduced property values for nearby homes. The commenter urged the commission to require more robust screening and clearer maintenance guarantees for plantings and to clarify how drives and parking areas would be screened from adjacent residences.

During the staff presentation, planners referenced compliance with burial- and funeral-related regulations as part of the approval conditions; the staff packet cited a named cemetery and funeral-services law as relevant, and the presentation asked that the applicant meet those statutory requirements before final implementation. The transcript record described that certain compliance items and required materials must be submitted to the Community Development department prior to issuance of any permits.

Staff told the commission that plantings installed for screening must be maintained and later replaced if they fail, and that the city’s Community Development director would have approval authority over final planting plans and any site-specific screening details. The presentation also noted edits to condition wording and that staff was available to clarify ambiguous language in the draft conditions.

The transcript records a staff recommendation for approval with conditions but does not record a formal motion or vote by the Planning Commission in the provided excerpt. The public hearing included extended discussion from neighbors and a back-and-forth between the commissioner(s) and members of the public; the record shows the commission asked staff clarifying questions about the conditions’ wording and the maintenance responsibilities but the excerpt ends before any final action was recorded.

The commission will consider the permit and the edited conditions at a later point if it proceeds to a formal vote; staff flagged that outstanding items — such as final screening plans and any required compliance paperwork under cemetery/funeral-services rules — must be completed before building permits or other approvals move forward.