What now?
As of now….we wait! We wait because an injunction has been placed upon the second proposal for a crematorium until the original proposal, along Route 35, is decided. This injunction has been ordered by Monmouth County Judge Lisa Thornton to stop all procedures regarding the proposal for a crematorium to be built along Oak Hill Road.
The original proposed crematorium was denied by the Middletown Zoning Board in 2016. The local ordinance states that there needs to be a 200-foot setback from the road and the Cemetery could only provide a 110-foot setback. Seeking a variance, the Cemetery was denied by the Middletown Zoning Board. The Board of Directors for Fair View Cemetery was very displeased with this result. So, the lawyer for the Cemetery, who is also a member of their Board, filed a lawsuit appealing the verdict to Monmouth County. The case was heard in May of 2018 and the judge has not issued a verdict.
In August of 2018, Fair View Cemetery petitioned to build a crematorium along Oak Hill Road. The Middletown Zoning Officer reviewed the petition and decided that all set backs were met. Considering this, the Zoning Board did not have rule on this petition and the proposal was turned over to the Middletown Planning Board. Working with our lawyer, the Planning Board filed for an injunction to block the hearing of the second proposal (Oak Hill Road site) until the original proposal (Route 35 site) has been decided and all appeals have been exhausted. This injunction was awarded by Judge Lisa Thornton.
This is a good thing! Please know that it was our voices, actions and opposition to this dangerous and unhealthy crematorium that led to this injunction! While the injunction is in place, we will take this time to spread the word, gather more information and be prepared for when it is time to act.
How can you help? Please continue to tell neighbors, family and friends. Share and like our posts and forward our emails. And if you have not done so already, please donate to our legal defense fund. Make an online donation here http://smarturl.it/SFVCdonate or you can mail a check.
Please make the check payable to: RAGE & send to:
RAGE
1385 Route 35 Suite 128
Middletown, NJ 07748
This is the first of our updates. Please expect to receive one every two weeks. In these updates, we will continue to send information to keep you informed and engaged. If you have any questions regarding our updates, or inquiries into various aspects of this situation, please do not hesitate to ask. Thank you so much for you continue involvement with this very important cause!
Stop Fair View Cemetery Leadership Team
