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Planning Commission recommends City Council approve Groveland Cemetery cremation garden and columbarium plan
Summary
The commission voted to recommend that the City Council adopt an amended conditional‑use permit allowing a cremation garden and initial columbarium structures at the Groveland Cemetery properties on Woodlawn Avenue; the cemetery association expects roughly 100 cremation niches in the first phase and projects existing space could be filled in about 10–12 years at current rates.
The Minnetonka Planning Commission on Aug. 21 recommended the City Council approve an amendment to the conditional‑use permit for Groveland Cemetery to add a cremation garden and columbarium structures at the cemetery properties on Woodlawn Avenue.
Planner Ms. Raines said the two‑parcel site (3228 Woodlawn and 3300 Woodlawn Avenue) has cemetery use dating to the 1880s and that prior approvals (2008, 2011, 2023) established staging and tree-preservation conditions. The current request would add above‑ground cremation options — an octagonal columbarium and phased curved columbaria — and staff found no required tree removals. Staff estimated the columbarium renderings at about 6 to 8 feet in height and recommended the commission forward the amendment to council.
Jeff Walton, president of the Groveland Cemetery Association, told commissioners the association is volunteer‑run and is proposing an initial octagonal columbarium with roughly 100 niches; phased additions could add comparable capacity later. Walton said the association will do soil borings to determine foundation needs and intends to use granite columbaria and permeable pavers to limit runoff. "It's going to be roughly, let's say, a 100 cremation niches in the columbarium," Walton said.
Commissioners questioned emergency access, parking for holidays and long‑term capacity. Walton said most event parking is coordinated with adjacent Groveland Elementary and that, at current burial rates (about 50–60 burials per year), the cemetery has roughly 3,100 interments and could be pressed for space in about 10–12 years. He also noted constraints on additional expansion: a nearby parcel is encumbered by a 50-foot metro sewer easement that limits buildable area there.
Commissioners expressed support for the materials, neighborhood compatibility and the additional burial options the proposal provides. Commissioner Waterman moved to recommend that the City Council adopt the CUP amendment; Commissioner Henry seconded and the motion passed on a unanimous vote. Chair Maxwell said the council will take up the recommendation at its Sept. 8 meeting.
