Trustees at Cedar Grove Cemetery are planning to put up three buildings— each with two units of housing—on a parcel of land it owns near the corner of Granite Avenue and Milton Street.
They say the project will give the 158-year-old burial ground a much-needed infusion of funds for maintenance and improvements in the coming decades.
Attorney and trustee Charlie Tevnan and Acting Supt. Tony Paciulli discussed the plan during an abutters’ meeting last month. The parcel in question includes a vacant single-family house that served as the cemetery caretaker’s residence in past years.
If approved, the new buildings will be constructed on slabs — with no basements— to match the surrounding homes. The development will include twelve parking spots, two per unit for the two-bedroom market-rate condos.
“Eight or 10 years ago the cemetery was practically insolvent when I was first asked to take a look at the books,” said Paciulli. “We’ve acquired some land that was underwater and unusable and bought some abutting properties and made some progress on developing those because we needed to create a future for the cemetery, because it was basically almost out of funds and we had no lots for sale to sustain us. We want to build an annuity so the cemetery can continue.”
Tevnan and Paciulli described it as a “very modest” proposal, and Tevnan noted that “the proceeds the cemetery nets from the project will be used to make improvements and enhancements in the cemetery. It is part of the cemetery’s plan to establish a runway to be able to exist another 150 years.”
A zoning change made in 2024 allows for three single-family homes to be built “as of right.” The cemetery’s proposal will need a zoning variance. Tevnan said the trustees felt that the two-bedroom condo plan was a modest upgrade that would keep units affordable, hopefully in the $600,000 to $700,000 range. He said it would provide enough parking to keep cars off the street.
“A lot of people would try to put 10 to 12 units here and try to make it work,” said Paciulli. “The approach that we want is to continue to be good neighbors and get along. We wanted to build something that blends into the neighborhood and leaves a lot of green space and creates the annuity for the cemetery.”
For all that, some abutters prefer the single-family plan rather than the six condo units with parking.
“I would oppose the multi-family condo option,” said James Cosgrove of Milton Street. “I would look at this as a turn-and-burn with turnover every so often. If you’re buying a $1.2 million house, it’s probably for a family that’s going to stake themselves in the community a long time.”
Neighbor Carole Mooney said she didn’t believe the 12-spot parking plan would support the needs of the 6 condos. She suggested they build out one-bedroom units for senior citizens instead.
Other neighbors were concerned that a private equity company might buy multiple units and rent them out to tenants or as short-term rental properties. Paciulli and Tevnan noted that such a situation can be discouraged in the condo association by-laws, but can’t be outlawed.
Abutter Connie Walsh said she supported the project and also wanted to support the cemetery.
Paciulli pointed out that the cemetery isn’t selling the land to a developer, but would be involved in the construction process and in charge of building out the units “right down to the appliances and countertops.”
He and Tevnan also pledged not to allow any construction equipment or vehicle parking on nearby streets. Instead, they will store all vehicles on cemetery property.
The proposal will be discussed at a future meeting of the Cedar Grove Civic Association. A Zoning Board of Appeals hearing date is expected in the new year.
A frontal view from Milton Street. The development would create an annuity to help keep Cedar Grove Cemetery solvent, trustees said. Courtesy renderings
