New Pet Crematory to be Located on M Street Gets Approval from RS Planning and Zoning Commission

New Pet Crematory to be Located on M Street Gets Approval from RS Planning and Zoning Commission

ROCK SPRINGS – A pet crematory was given approval by the Rock Springs Planning and Zoning Commission despite concerns from neighbors.

The proposed pet crematory, which will be located at 305 M St., was discussed at the Wednesday meeting. The request was for a conditional use permit to provide the service in a B-3 zone.

Rock Springs City Planner Jennifer Shields gave an overview of the business and a brief history of crematories in Rock Springs.

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The new business will be a private crematory for small, domestic pets. Both project representative Aaron Hillyard and owner Georgina Truax said it would only be for the smaller pets after Commissioner Kimberly Steele asked about larger animals such as horses.

The business would be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The city planning department looked at where the closest places that offer the service are. Shields said Farson and Salt Lake City were the closest communities providing the service.

This was one of the reasons Hillyard gave as to why they started investigating the business. He said it keeps business local and allows families the chance to say goodbye to their pets at home in Rock Springs.  Hillyard added they are planning on adding a grieving room to allow families to say goodbye privately.

Currently, Shields said those who want to have their pet cremated usually work with their vets. It usually involves having the deceased animal sent to Salt Lake to have the cremation done. 

As for the history of crematories in Rock Springs, it is pretty basic. Shields said in 1996 Spencer Fox wanted to add a crematory to his funeral home located on Commercial Drive. He requested an amendment to city ordinance that would allow crematories as a conditional use in a B-2 zone. On Aug. 20, 1996, Fox received approval from the Rock Springs City Council.

The Fox crematory is the only crematory that has been and is still located within city limits. The pet crematory would be second. Shields said the crematory VASE uses is located north of Rock Springs in the county.

The discussion by staff then moved into a construction overview. The business will be located in the law office owned by Dan Errompose. Shields said the business owners are planning to take out the shed located on the property and replace it with a detached garage. The cremation equipment would be housed and operated in the garage.

Another thing stressed by Shields during the meeting is that there will absolutely be no animals euthanized at the proposed business.

Shields informed the board that she had several concerns when the project was presented to staff. To get her questions and concerns addressed, Shields reached out to  the company who makes the equipment.

The equipment burns between 1,400 and 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Board member Matthew Jackman asked Shields if there were fire dangers associated with the equipment. Shields said the risk of the equipment starting a fire is very small. She said it is all enclosed and the technology used is extremely proficient.

Other concerns Shields discussed with the company was odor and smoke. Shields said she was informed the equipment is virtually smokeless and odorless. Hillyard said the emissions from a typical barbecue grills is equal and sometimes higher than the emissions from the cremation equipment.

Shields also spoke to the company about the noise of the equipment. She said the company explained it is equivalent to a vacuum cleaner.

One thing which Shields said stood out in the discussions with the manufacturer is that all their equipment meets state codes and has received the proper permits from the Wyoming Department of Quality. Commissioner Gary Waltkins verified this information again with Shields noting this will be located right next to a restaurants and wanted to make sure staff was comfortable with the information provided by the company. 

The discussion heated up as several residents had concerns. Connie Johnson lives in the vicinity of the proposed business and said she had concerns about smoke. After hearing the discussion, Johnson said her concerns had been addressed and spoke in favor of the business.

Some residents were not so quick to agree. Tom Humphreys and his wife live at 314 M St. which is right across the street from the proposed project. Mrs. Humphreys said several residents on M Street have worked hard to upgrade their homes and yards and this business would take away from the neighborhood. She was not as sold as the others on the statements made that smoke and odor would not be an issue.

The zoning on M Street also came into question. To try to attract development in the downtown, the Rock Springs Urban Renewal Agency recommended to re-zone the downtown into a B-3 district in the early beginnings of the URA. During this change to the zoning map, M Street was split in half with one side of the street residential and the other side commercial.

Humphreys said the way it is zoned has limited what the residential side can do. While he might be on the other side of the issue, Property owner Dan Erramouspe agreed. He opened his office on M Street and has practiced there since 2001. He recently put the property up for sale after being elected to the office of Sweetwater County Attorney. Erramouspe praised the Humphreys for all the work they have done on their property saying it has made a big difference in the area.

Erramouspe agreed with Mrs. Humphreys on the zoning issues saying it has limited his options as well. He said because of the commercial zoning he is unable to sell it as a residential property and cannot even rent it as residential.

“It has to be sold as a commercial property,” Erramouspe said.

Almost any commercial use is allowed in a B-3 zoning and Erramouspe pointed this out as well. He wondered if the residents in the area would rather see a convenience store or a mechanic shop there instead. He told the board he also researched the crematory and the equipment used. He backed everything Shields told the commissioner earlier in the debate. 

“It’s not going to take away from M Street,” Erramouspe said noting the street is one of the busiest and noisiest streets in the city already. “This is not some money scheme. They really want to provide a service.”

Humphreys then questioned what they will do if someone comes after hours on Friday and leaves a dead animal sitting there all weekend. Hillyard said there are a lot of misconceptions about decomposing animals. He said they do not start decomposing right away.

Hillyard added rather than have residents drop them off, they will urge residents to call them and discuss the issue, He said residents can call anytime and he would gladly tell them how to properly store the deceased pet until they could bring it down during regular business hours. He also said residents can also work with the local vets and added they plan on working closely with as many local vets as possible.

The Humphreys also brought up the concern about parking saying it is already a mess down there. Tom Humphreys said if they take away the shed and add a larger structure that would take away parking spaces.

Hillyard responded reminding the board this is not a normal business and would not have the constant string of customers like a hair saloon or a restaurants would. Both Hillyard and Shields explained the business would be paving some of the dirt lot for parking which would upgrade the property. Erramouspe also weighed in saying when he ran his office there, parking was never an issue.

In the end, Humphreys said she was not against the service or the ones trying to start the business. However, she asked the board to deny the request stating there has to be a more suitable location in the city for a business like this.

After hearing from all parties, staff made its recommendation to the commission. Shields said she recommended approval of the project but because of issues raised, was going to add stringent recommendations to the project.

The first stipulation is absolutely no people can be cremated at the site. Second, all state requirements and codes have to be met. Shields said she took it a step further requiring the developers to provide verification from the DEQ to make sure the state regulations are being followed.

Again, Shields said they will need to meet all city codes and is requiring them to show verification this has been done. A minor site plan will also have to be approved. Shields explained this plan addresses and shows things like parking and landscaping plans.

They will have a year to open the business or a new proposal would need to be made. Finally, Shields said she added the language which states this commission can revoke or revise the agreement if complaints arise.

Shields said if this happens, city staff would first investigate the complaints to see if there was enough proof to verify it. If there is enough evidence to back the complaint, Shields said it would then go in front of the Planning and Zoning Commission for debate.

The vote on the project was unanimous with a full commission present.