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Mount Calvary proposes glass-front niche buildings; EAC recommends negative declaration
Summary
Mount Calvary presented a plan for four small glass-front niche buildings and permeable pavers to reduce stormwater; the EAC recommended a negative declaration and will forward the matter to the town board.
Representatives for Mount Calvary described plans to add four small glass-front niche buildings and associated site improvements at the cemetery and the Environmental Advisory Committee voted to recommend a negative declaration to the town board.
The speaker identifying themselves as the president and CEO of Mount Calvary told the committee the project would add banks of glass-front niches across four small buildings (about 800 square feet each) to meet local demand for cremation niches and related services. The representative said the project would use permeable pavers for driveways to reduce stormwater runoff and that the organization is working toward an arboretum-style approach across its five cemeteries in the area.
The presenter framed the proposal as both a business necessity and an environmental improvement: “65 percent of the deaths in, New York and especially in the Western New York area are, cremation,” the Mount Calvary representative said, arguing that glass-front niches are in demand. The committee asked technical follow-ups (building height, grading, tree impacts) and the applicant said the buildings would not contain services and the site grading would not change significantly.
After questions the EAC voted to recommend a negative declaration and to forward the item to the town board.
Next steps: the item will be placed on the town-board agenda for an EAF/SEQR determination; the committee asked the applicant to coordinate final engineering and landscape plans with town staff.
