Board approves expansion of Whispering Hills natural cemetery after split vote; goes to commissioners

The Troup County board recommended approval of a special-use permit that would add about 9.9 acres to the Whispering Hills natural cemetery at 3570 Moody Bridge Road, bringing the cemetery’s permitted total to roughly 49.947 acres when combined with prior approvals. Staff recapped earlier approvals: a 20-acre perpetual public cemetery was approved in 2019 and an additional roughly 20 acres was approved in 2024 but not yet surveyed into the cemetery parcel. The current application requests another 9.9 acres on the other side of a small creek.

Applicant Ralph Howard told the board the site functions as a “natural green cemetery” with low-density, site-specific burials. He said the operation has sold about 190 contracts and recorded about 60 burials or uses on the first 20-acre parcel. "We've had a 190 people come out and select a site... Of those, 60 have actually taken place," Howard said. He described some previously approved acreage as too rocky or steep for graves and said the newly requested nine acres include relatively flat, usable ground.

Board members questioned past acreage decisions and whether the previous 20-acre parcel left unusable portions; one motion to deny the expansion failed, and a subsequent motion to approve carried. Staff reminded the board that final approval is by the Board of Commissioners and that staff intends to attach the eight standard conditions listed in the staff report, including a 30-foot buffer, a 100-foot setback from wells, and compliance with state cemetery licensing and floodplain limits.

What happens next: The board’s approval will be forwarded to the Board of Commissioners for final action in January; if approved, the applicant must finalize surveys, update the state license for perpetual-care cemetery status, and comply with the conditions of approval.