After supporters speak, board approves expansion of Whispering Hills 'green' cemetery 3–1

The board voted 3–1 on Jan. 6 to approve a special‑use permit allowing Whispering Hills (applicant Ralph Howard) to add approximately 9.9 acres to an existing cemetery site at 3570 Moody Bridge Road, subject to eight staff‑recommended conditions including a required survey/plat, vegetative buffers and setback requirements.

Community development staff described the application's history: the board had approved an initial 20 acres in 2019 and another 20 acres in 2024, but staff said the 2024 acreage was not fully platted and recorded. The current application would add roughly 9.9 acres and staff recommended conditions that require the applicant to complete plats, register the cemetery with the state of Georgia, maintain a 30‑foot vegetative buffer, keep graves 100 feet from adjoining properties and 50 feet from water, avoid FEMA floodplain grave sites, and limit total cemetery acreage to 49.947 acres unless the applicant returns for further approvals.

Applicant Ralph Howard and several supporters — including Jeffrey Higgins (funeral director and advisory board member), neighbor Shirley Hubbard, local resident Mary Anne Keck, Whispering Hills administrator Jen Lawsonheiser, and family member Jocelyn Scott — addressed the board. Howard described the site as a "natural cemetery," said some previously approved acreage contained unusable terrain, and asked the board to allow the 9.9‑acre addition rather than re‑platting unusable areas.

"This is not a natural cemetery. This is a natural cemetery," Howard said when explaining the site's approach and practices; supporters described family demand, ecological and recreational uses, and claimed the site draws visitation and modest tourism from outside the county. Supporters also said some previously approved acreage contains rock or gullies that are not suitable for full‑body interment and that granting the requested addition would allow more usable burial terrain.

Commissioners questioned whether the applicant had completed prior platting and whether a condition requiring completion of the survey and plat should be included; staff confirmed the survey/plat requirement was one of the recommended conditions. After discussion, a motion to approve the special‑use permit with the staff conditions passed on a 3–1 vote.

Next steps: the applicant must submit a recorded plat reflecting the total approved acreage and obtain required Georgia cemetery registration; staff will monitor compliance with the eight conditions and will require any deviations to return to Community Development for review.