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Planning commission backs access for St. Victoria columbarium but denies setback change
Summary
The Victoria Planning Commission recommended that city council approve an access variance to allow a new entrance to a proposed columbarium at St. Victoria Catholic Church, conditioned on added foliage, and recommended denying a requested reduction to the 30-foot front setback that would have allowed more burial plots.
The Victoria Planning Commission on Monday recommended approval of an access variance for St. Victoria Catholic Church’s proposed columbarium while recommending denial of a requested front-setback reduction that would have allowed more burial plots.
City planner Brian McCann told commissioners the church’s application covers seven parcels totaling about 26½ acres and proposes a new driveway and a roughly 26-foot columbarium. The proposal would add about 250 burial sites; McCann said existing site constraints—steep slopes, wetlands and shoreland restrictions—limit options for ADA-compliant access and for placing new plots.
“Driveways already exist on Victoria Circle,” McCann said, adding that public works found only one sewer stub extending onto the church property that does not currently connect to anything and that the church would need to coordinate any relocation as a condition of approval.
Chuck Beler, an attorney representing St. Victoria, said the plan was developed over years in response to neighborhood concerns and to reduce curbside parking during services. He said church records show roughly 138 interments in the last 10½ years—about one per month—although funeral services occur more frequently.
Commissioners pressed the applicant and staff on the exact location and visibility of the proposed access, whether the columbarium and traffic circle would be visible from adjacent homes, and whether the new access should be gated or lit. Beler said no lighting is currently planned; signage and plantings are possible, and a gate would be difficult for the church to operate daily.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to recommend approval of the access variance with the staff-recommended conditions plus a requirement that foliage be planted on both sides of the new access and along the boundary adjacent to the nearest neighbors. The commission also voted to recommend denial of the 30-foot setback reduction, with members noting that denying the setback would eliminate about 40 of the proposed 250 plots.
The motion carried by a 5–2 vote. The commission’s recommendation will go to the City Council, which is scheduled to consider the matter within the statutory 60-day review period.
