Smithfield board approves special-use permit for pet water-cremation facility with state and local permit conditions

The Smithfield Zoning Board of Review on Aug. 6 voted to grant a special-use permit to Full Circle Water Cremation LLC to operate an alkaline-hydrolysis (water cremation) pet aftercare facility at 15 Appian Way in the Stillwater Business Park.

Attorney Timothy Kane presented the application for the applicant and owner and called the principal, Ingmar Gosman, to describe the proposed operation. Gosman said the facility would transport deceased household pets from homes and veterinary clinics, operate two alkaline-hydrolysis appliances, and return sterile solid remains to owners in urns. “We offer flameless processing of pet remains to put in urns and memorial items,” Gosman said. He described the process — often called alkaline hydrolysis or aquamation — as water-based, producing sterile solid remains and a sterile liquid composed primarily of water.

The board accepted exhibits from the applicant, including a brochure and letters of support from local veterinarians. Dr. Shelly Pancoast, identified as past president of the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association, spoke in favor during public comment and described the proposal as an environmentally preferable alternative to fire cremation and burial.

Board members and staff asked detailed technical questions about the operation, including chemical storage, air emissions, noise, sanitary sewer discharge, pretreatment requirements and the number of machines. The applicant testified there would be two machines, that no flammable chemicals would be stored on-site, and that they would keep 10 to 20 50-pound bags of anhydrous potassium hydroxide at most. The applicant said the Department of Health and Department of Environmental Management had been consulted and that a pretreatment (wastewater) application had been submitted; he said written permission from the wastewater authority (recorded in the transcript as “Viola”) would be required before discharge into the sewer system.

The board’s motion to grant the special-use permit incorporated the staff memorandum dated Aug. 6 and the exhibits offered at the hearing, and attached several conditions: securing all applicable state and local permits (including wastewater pretreatment and any required fire-marshal or building-permit approvals); correction of minor on-site drainage and embankment issues to the town engineer’s satisfaction; submission of an updated site plan reflecting additional paving; measures to keep a designated loading zone clear; final pavement striping after the final asphalt coat; and a voluntary one-year site check by the building official.

A board member summarized the practical compliance steps: the applicant must secure state approvals and written wastewater-pretreatment acceptance before applying for a building permit. The motion passed on a voice vote; the transcript records the motion, the list of conditions, and “Motion passes” but does not show a roll-call tally.

The applicant and owner agreed to address the drainage corrections and submit the updated site plan. The board’s conditions leave required state and local technical approvals to the appropriate permitting agencies (building official, fire marshal, town engineer and wastewater authority).