Planning commission recommends permit for Little Georgetown Cemetery expansion

The Planning Commission recommended approval of a Category 22 special permit to expand the Little Georgetown Cemetery by roughly 9.4 acres, adding an estimated 2,800 burial plots, after staff and the applicant described plans to preserve the site's historic character and manage stormwater and access.

Staff outlined that the cemetery expansion would be limited to the existing cemetery parcels and the proposed expansion parcel; new graves would meet standard setbacks and the expansion parcel would be accessed from Trap Branch Road, with connections to existing gravel drives. Staff noted the property and surrounding area are in the Broad Run Little Georgetown Rural Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Leslie Conroy, representing the applicant’s landscape architect, described measures to maintain rolling topography, use historic materials (stone walls, gravel drives), increase vegetation and add stormwater management to minimize impacts. An adjacent resident said neighbors would support a conservation easement but would oppose development.

After the public hearing the commission voted to forward the special permit to the Board of Supervisors with the staff‑recommended conditions (amended earlier that day to remove a right‑of‑way dedication condition pending further work between staff and the Board).