Planning Commission tables St. Victoria cemetery variance requests after neighbors raise safety, traffic and access concerns

At a Planning Commission meeting in Victoria, the commission voted to table two variance requests from St. Victoria Catholic Church that would let the parish add burial plots and a new vehicle access from Victoria Circle for a proposed columbarium.

City planner Brian McCann explained the requests as a package: consolidating seven church parcels into a single 26.5-acre lot, adding a roughly 26-foot-wide access from Victoria Circle to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) needs, and reducing the front setback from 30 feet to 5 feet to create additional burial capacity. "They are proposing a single access from Victoria Circle," McCann said, noting the property is encumbered by steep slopes, wetlands and a shoreland overlay that limit other options.

The request prompted several neighbors to speak. James Haines, who lives at 1812 Victoria Circle, said: "It's…