Fair View Cemetery wants to build a new crematorium in a residential area of Middletown, NJ that is inappropriate for both communities and the local environment.
This is a polluting business and the proposed location is zoned for residential purposes, not for a facility that will be burning thousands of bodies a year.
The cremation process results in toxic emissions, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). These toxins can have a significant impact on human health and the environment.
Cremation also has a large carbon footprint. A single cremation typically uses a significant amount of fossil fuels, roughly equivalent to the energy used by a car on a 500-mile trip, primarily in the form of natural gas.
On top of this, the proposed site is an incredibly environmentally sensitive area that should not be developed on.
The location contains steep slopes, over 3 acres of freshwater wetlands and 2 acres of wetlands transition areas, making it a class 1 and class 2 critical area. This means that the site where Fair View wants to build a crematorium is designated as a highly sensitive environmental zone with significant ecological value and a crucial habitat for endangered and threatened species.
In NJ, any construction near Class 1 wetlands must be at least 150 feet away from the wetlands boundary. You must also maintain a minimum of 150 feet of distance from a Class 2 wetlands transition area.
Based on the site plan, the proposed asphalt driveway will be just 6 feet away from the wetlands transition area and less than 60 feet from the freshwater wetlands.
The site is also right across the street from Poricy Park Conservancy with 250 acres of open space, wildlife, prehistoric fossil beds, and the Historic Murray Farmhouse.
Join us in sending a message to the Middletown Zoning Board telling them that this location is completely inappropriate for a crematorium and to reject this proposal!
