Church and Chapel hopes to open funeral home in church building

Church and Chapel wants to open a funeral home in the building that now serves as Unity West Church.

The congregation has downsized, so after 30 years in the building at 4750 N. Mayfair Road, "We are going to be moving someplace smaller," said Russell Grant, Unity West's board president.

Church and Chapel is in negotiations to buy the property and, if successful, plans to make improvements to the parking lot and landscaping, said Dave Larsen, company representative.

The business plans to conduct funeral and interment services at the site and any preparatory functions such as embalming and cremating would be done at Church and Chapel's headquarters in Brookfield, he said.

Customers would come to make funeral arrangements, attend services in the chapel and hold funeral luncheons in the basement.

Regardless, neighbor Acquanitta Patterson said she's not happy about the plans.

"I'm not comfortable with a funeral home behind my house," she told the city Plan Commission on Monday.

Commissioner Jody Lowe said she could appreciate that it might not be the preferred choice for a neighbor but she supports the project.

"This is a natural part of life and is a service needed in the community and one that we will increasingly need," she said.

The rest of the commission agreed, voting unanimously to support the project. A public hearing will be held before the Common Council on July 17.