It has been brought to our attention that several residents in Beltsville received the following letter earlier this summer from lawyers representing Borgwardt’s Funeral Home and were concerned:
To Whom It May Concern:
This is to advise that I represent Borgwardt Funeral Home, P.A., which has been located at the above address [4400 Powder Mill Road, Beltsville, MD] since initially receiving approval of a “Special Exception” granted by Prince George’s County Council in 1982.
In recent years, the Funeral Home began receiving requests for a crematorium, and, at the present time, approximately half of its clients have requested cremation for the deceased period to more efficiently provide this service, we are preparing a request to add an additional parcel to its operation as shown on the attached site plan and architectural rendering. We hope to meet with the civic associations in the immediate area prior to processing and filing this application to make a presentation and respond to any questions or concerns.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns or would like more information regarding this matter, please contact me at your convenience, and I would be happy to respond.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Very Truly Yours,
Russell W. Shipley
One of our readers who received this letter reached out to several local politicians including Mary Lehman. This is what Mrs. Lehman’s office sent to her:
“After researching the situation with the help of M-NCPPC’s Planning Department, this is our understanding. The second property owned by Mr. Borgwardt at 11702 Roby Ave. is zoned RMF-20 which does not allow for a crematorium to be built on that piece of land. In order for such a project to move forward, the property would need to be rezoned. To date, we have not heard a request to do so.
I do encourage for your neighbors and you to become persons of record through the Planning Department. In that way, you can receive timely information from M-NCPPC. You can register at: Become a Person of Record - Prince George's County Planning Board (https://www.mncppcapps.org/planning/Person_of_Record/default.cfm)”
As of now, the zoning applications have not been filed. If we here more information, we will update you with more information.
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