Bedford County approves private family cemetery; staff recommends access from New Hope Road

Bedford County commissioners voted unanimously to approve a private family cemetery for the Dominique Ashley Trust Foundation on New Hope Road, subject to staff conditions about safe access.

Staff reported the proposed cemetery would sit on a roughly 166-acre parcel (Tax map 111 parcel 015.00) that also fronts Highway 130 East. Planning staff recommended requiring access from New Hope Road rather than the state highway because of a nearby curve and the hazard a funeral procession might present on a higher-speed road. "One of the purposes of the cemetery standards... is to ensure safe access, ingress, egress between the burial ground and the public road system," staff said.

Staff also emphasized the county's regulations distinguish private family burial grounds from commercial, church or public cemeteries and that approval should be limited to internment of family members of the property owner(s). The board accepted staff's recommendation and approved the request with the access condition.

Public questions and conditions
A member of the public asked whether the cemetery would be fenced and who would maintain it; staff and the record noted that family maintenance would be expected for a private family burial ground. The board directed staff to ensure the approval is recorded as limited to a private family cemetery and not an authorization for commercial use.

Outcome and next steps
- Motion to approve the family cemetery with access from New Hope Road: moved by Commissioner Street; seconded and passed unanimously.
- Staff to ensure site plans meet the county's cemetery standards, and to record the approval with the access requirement noted.

Provenance
This article is based on the staff presentation and the board's motion and vote recorded in the meeting transcript (topic introduction at SEG 761; motion and vote at SEG 852-859).