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Fayetteville residents oppose crematorium; council rejects rezoning for 521 West Market Street
Summary
After an hour of public comment, the Fayetteville Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted down a rezoning request for 521 West Market Street that would have allowed a crematorium. Speakers raised health, property‑value and religious concerns; proponents cited safety features and local service needs.
A rezoning proposal to allow a crematorium at 521 West Market Street West failed Jan. 13 after extensive public comment and a roll-call vote.
Residents and nearby property owners urged the board to reject the change from residential to commercial zoning. “You all are being asked to rezone a piece of property from residential to commercial so that the owners of that property can build a crematorium facing Market Street,” said Stephanie Eley Bridal, who identified herself as a West End resident and said she was “not convinced that this is something that’s gonna be safe in the long term and the short term.” Rabbi/minister Gary McArdle, who said he lives “30 steps” from the proposed site, told the board the location would hurt property values and community life and urged aldermen to vote no.
Opponents also raised health and liability concerns. James Waller cited recent studies and told the board that emissions are “gonna be harmful” and warned the board could face ordinary‑negligence liability if residents are harmed.
Proponents included local funeral‑service representatives and the developer. Brooke Gallant Fanning, whose family operates a funeral home on West Market Street and who said she is a licensed crematory operator, argued access to local cremation services matters: “More families than ever are choosing cremation nationally,” she said, citing rising cremation rates and saying the facility would let families remain served close to home. Barry Brown of Brown Construction and Tom Kroll of Cremation Systems described buffering, site placement and modern emissions controls; Kroll said modern chambers include opacity sensors and a 1,600‑degree afterburner and that state rules govern air emissions in Tennessee.
The council debated Ordinance 2026‑01 to rezone 521 West Market Street West. The motion to approve the rezoning failed on roll call. The transcript record shows multiple no votes; the presiding official announced the motion failed and the ordinance did not pass.
What’s next: Because the rezoning motion failed, the property remains zoned residential. There was no further formal action on the site during the meeting; proponents and opponents were urged to continue discussions with planning staff and to provide additional technical materials to the board and staff if they wish to pursue alternate approvals in the future.
