Midwood, NY – A cemetery has become a battleground with residents pitted against graveyard officials seeking to add land to the cemetery by buying a neighboring house.
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Founded in 1861, Washington Cemetery on Bay Parkway is almost filled to capacity, but neighbors oppose the proposed expansion into the residential block.
Without more land to sell graves, officials at the Jewish cemetery say they won’t have money to maintain the final resting place of more than 100,000 people buried there.
When the single-family house at 4832 Bay Parkway went on the market a few years ago, cemetery officials saw the chance to demolish it and sell 200 to 300 more tombs for about $15,000 each.
But using the land for burials requires the City Council’s approval and residents complained that a bigger cemetery would lower property values and destroy the neighborhood’s appearance.
Complaints led to a meeting with Washington Cemetery officials and Councilman David Greenfield (D-Borough Park) on March 31.
Greenfield signaled he’ll try to block Washington Cemetery in the City Council if the sale goes ahead because cemetery officials didn’t have good responses to residents’ questions about the expansion and upkeep.
“When you turn something into a cemetery, there’s no going back. It’s a permanent change,” said Greenfield. “It’s a wonderful cemetery, but I won’t support the plans until these questions are answered.”
And once the campaign contributions come in then the cemetery has answered all the questions that’s politics
There should have been a long term plan to keep operating and pay expenses. perhaps the plan was faulty or someone took advantage.
The neighborhood bears no responsibility and should not be pressured lest the cemetery run out of money.
This is an outrage. No one wants a cemetary in their back or side yard….its too bad for the cemetary but these people bought their homes with a clear idea of what the zoning and land use laws allowed. If the cemetary wants to change the rules, they should guarantee the neighbors against any loss in property values as determined byu an independent assessor. Otherwise, let them look elsewhere for land. We cannot just change the rules for land use every time some worthy mosdos come along and demand a change because it suits their financial needs.
What’s the problem? At least the new neighbors won’t be noisy.
The revenue from 200/300 more tombs isn’t going to last for long (max 300 x $15,000 = $4.5m) and in four or five years it’s going to be back in the same situation. The cemetery needs a long term plan.
how does a cemetary lower property values?
My son lives in KJ next to the cemetary and the value didnt drop a nickel…Ask all the people on 59th street between 20 and 21 ave. where there are 18 new homes and they are paying more rent then those on blocks with no cemetary..Dead people are great neighbors ,they dont take up parking spaces,they dont double park,they dont block bus stops ,and they never ever blow their horn 1 oclock i n the morning like on 53street by viznitz or 54th street by ateres chaye and 50th street by ateres golda.
Go ahead and let them expand….
The cemetery on Bay Parkway is on two blocks already, what difference will the extension of the property of one house make? However, I don’t know how they plan to make 200 to 300 more graves on the plot of one house.
99% of all graves that are sold there now are to Russians that are being taken advantage of by the cemetary. They charge substantially more than $15,000 for a plot. They should not be allowed to go into residential neighborhoods. They are so strict that a commercial enterprise not go into a residential neighborhood regardless of how small it is.
I would rather have a dead quiet as a neighbor, than a loud noisy shul
In the Sanhedria cemetery in Yerushalayim (corner of Bar Ilan and Shmuel HaNavi), they have completed a “parking garage” structure. They have built a large second level above some of the occupied graves (It really looks like the second story of a parking garage.) Future graves will be about 10 or 12 feet above the original kevarim. I assume that this could be done here too.
Whenever I travel to Eretz Yisrael, I am very happy to see the fewest cemeteries, Beis Hakvoros, as pssible. I like to see living Yidden. It’s a shame that some Jews who die in the U.S. want to be buried in E.Y., not in their own country, taking up valuable land that can be used for agriculture and homes.