Entrepreneurs urge Rockville to update zoning to allow water cremation and terramation

Owners of a local funeral‑industry startup asked Rockville’s mayor and council to revise zoning language so families can access newer, lower‑emission death‑care options locally.

Lily Berkeley, co‑founder of Willow Green Funerals, told the council that the state’s Green Death Care Options Act and associated regulations now recognize water cremation (also called alkaline hydrolysis or aquamation) and natural organic reduction (terramation). "It uses 90% less energy and avoids emissions," Berkeley said of alkaline hydrolysis, adding that terramation returns soil to families at the end of the process.

Berkeley and her business partner Adrian Gardner asked the council to adjust the zoning ordinance’s crematorium/cremation definitions so water‑based alternatives are not treated as incineration, and to explicitly permit alkaline hydrolysis and natural organic reduction as components of a funeral home or as conditional uses subject to trip/traffic standards. Gardner said minimal operational differences mean community impacts would be comparable to conventional funeral homes.

Planning staff acknowledged the state law and told the council the matter appears amendable to limited text changes — for example, clarifying that the existing definition of 'cremation' refers to incineration while other state‑defined terms would be treated separately, and allowing funeral homes to include the defined state uses in their permitted activities. The council did not vote; staff said they will review the presenters’ materials and consider targeted adjustments when finalizing the zoning rewrite.

Berkeley cited national surveys and regulatory precedents to argue for local access so Rockville residents need not travel for greener death‑care options. Council members thanked the presenters and said staff should coordinate precise language with the city attorney’s office before any ordinance change is posted for adoption.