ARLINGTON, Va. — A couple is suing Brooks Township for barring them from opening a conservation burial ground.
The lawsuit challenges the township’s ban on the establishment of new cemeteries, which the Institute for Justice says violates Michiganders’ right to conduct business on private property.
We’re told Peter and Annica Quakenbush purchased land in Brooks Township that would suit their goal of creating a green cemetery that would offer a less expensive alternative to traditional burials while preserving the environment.
The nonprofit law firms explains the Quakenbushes reached out to the township’s zoning administration and complied with instructions they were provided.
However, the firm says Brooks Township officials voiced disinterest in adding a green cemetery and proceeded to ban them.
“We knew starting a burial forest would involve trailblazing, and we were ready for that,” says Annica. “But the township implementing a new ordinance to block our project specifically felt like a really low blow. We have some supporters in their final stages of life, and we want to give them the kind of burial they long for.”
The Institute for Justice argues the couple are within their constitutional right to use their property as they wish so long as it does not bring harm to the public.
