Funeral home expansion would oust Manassas hair salon

The Manassas City Council will have more time to decide whether or not to allow an indoor columbarium near the city’s downtown.

The Council on Monday, December 14 deferred a decision on whether or not to rezone about an acre of land at the Pierce Funeral Home at 9605 Center Street for the columbarium, where cremains would be stored. It’ll make its decision when the council meets again on January 11, 2021.

The columbarium would replace a house next to the funeral home, owned by the funeral home, home to business, Exclusive Hair Designs. The hair salon customers urged the Council to deny the rezoning request, saying “[the city] will have a whole block that focuses on death” if the rezoning is approved.

There’s also a 12-unit apartment complex on the property owned by the funeral home. Both the hair salon and apartment building would be razed to make way for the funeral home expansion.

If the rezoning is approved, the land will be rezoned from multi-family residential to light industrial. The funeral home added a crematorium in 2013 and added an outdoor columbarium.

The city’s Planning Commission recommended the rezoning for the indoor columbarium. The city’s planning staff has also urged the City Council to approve the rezoning, saying the columbarium. Simultaneously, it doesn’t fit the character of the existing buildings in the area, won’t prevent new development in the neighborhood.

When the City Council meets next, it will be under the leadership of incoming Mayor Michele Davis Younger, who was elected to the seat on November 3. Parrish retired from the job after 27 years of service on the City Council.