By Glenn Rolfe

GEORGETOWN — At last count, there are at least eight — maybe more — cemeteries within the limits of Georgetown.

Interestingly, town code makes no mention of them.

“The code is currently silent to it. You don’t see the word ‘cemetery’ anywhere in our code,” said Georgetown Town Manager Eugene Dvornick.

Town leaders are acting to change that.

Town council took a first step at its March 10 virtual meeting, holding a public hearing on modifying zoning code pertaining to cemetery uses.

“The issue that is at hand is we currently have a code that is silent with respect to cemetery uses, and we do have several places throughout the zone with various different zonings that have cemetery uses on them,” said Mr. Dvornick.

Proposed code revision will pertain to Urban Residential District (UR-1) zoning and its uses. Most of the existing cemeteries lie in UR-1 zoning.

“This is being modified in UR-1, as UR-1 rolls to the other zoning districts which encompass the cemeteries as we have today,” Mr. Dvornick said.

The possible revision addresses cemetery uses, including mausoleums, chapels and similar memorial spaces, as well as:

• Accessory uses — Offices necessary to administrate the land, grounds maintenance facilities or storage buildings. Any outdoor storage must be screened from adjacent public rights of way or adjacent residential uses.

• Signage — No signs shall be permitted except for cemetery identification signs, directional signs, signs displaying the hours and days of operation, signs displaying rules and regulations, headstones or other memorials.

• Minimum requirements — Any buildings may occupy no more than 50% of the land; building setbacks must be at least 50 feet.

Georgetown’s town solicitor, attorney Stephanie Ballard, made note that this modification will not affect zoning.

“It wouldn’t rezone the parcel. It takes care of a cemetery in any zoning in town,” Ms. Ballard said. “It wouldn’t automatically rezone a parcel.”

The public hearing record on the proposal will remain open for 14 days.

The first reading of the ordinance is scheduled for the March 24 Town Council meeting. A second reading and potential adoption is slated for April 14.

“We’re just trying to get them all in compliance, so that they all are saying the same thing,” said Georgetown Mayor Bill West. “The way they have been in (the) past is all over the place in zoning.”