St. Patrick Church Awarded Special Land Use Permit to Expand Cemetery

Brighton City Council members unanimously approved a special land use permit for St. Patrick Church to expand its existing cemetery on Brighton Lake Road.

The Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Lansing has owned the adjacent land since 1980. The property is roughly 1.1 acres, and is zoned as Single Family Residential, which allows for single family dwellings.

In order to use the grounds as a cemetery for human burial, St. Patrick Church had to gain approval of its special land use application from City Council, which acted on recommendation for approval from the Planning Commission.

Brighton Township resident and parish member Paul Jermanus spoke in support of the church's permit request during the Planning Commission's public hearing on Jan. 28.

Jermanus noted the church's membership is more than 3,000 families, and with the increased population in the city and townships, there is a need for additional burial space at the St. Patrick Cemetery, according to meeting minutes.

At this time, St. Patrick has no improvements are planned; however, the church may extend the existing black ornamental fence or add a structure in the future. The fence extension would require a building permit and the construction of any structures would require site plan approval.