Planning commission approves private family cemetery with conditions after extended discussion

The Tri-County Planning Commission approved a special use to allow a private family cemetery on a portion of farmland (case 25-03) and attached four conditions: the cemetery must be squared off to one‑tenth of an acre, surveyed and recorded; the frontage must include an entrance with at least one 9-by-18-foot parking space; latitude and longitude coordinates for each burial plot must be recorded per Tazewell County Health Department guidance; and the coroner must be notified at time of death and burials coordinated through a state-licensed funeral director.

The application prompted extended discussion. Commissioners and staff said the county currently lacks clear, specific code provisions for private family cemeteries and that Tri-County planning initially rated several findings as negative—chiefly concerns about converting productive farmland and access/ingress/egress—but commissioners noted the parcel portion for the cemetery was a very small area (one‑tenth of an acre). Commissioners amended the findings to treat the soil productivity concern as a minor negative and then approved the findings as amended.

Staff advised petitioners to consult the Tazewell County Health Department and the coroner about burial requirements and suggested recording the burial coordinates to help future identification. The transcript records staff describing burial plot dimensions used for planning calculations (3 feet by 8 feet per grave with 3 feet between graves) and noting that health‑department guidance was the source for the latitude/longitude recommendation. Commissioners discussed practical conditions such as limiting planting to low shrubs rather than large trees to avoid encroachment on neighboring properties and discussed the need for an off-road parking space to ensure safe access.

The commission’s formal votes to attach the conditions and approve the petition passed on a roll call. Recorded votes in the transcript show Fair, Max Link, the planning hand (record entry), Vaughn, Miller and Cooney voting yes and Chairman Wilson voting no; the motion carried. Tri-County planning’s staff recommendation in its packet had been to deny the request, but the commission approved it with the conditions listed above.

Because county code does not specify detailed requirements for private family cemeteries, commissioners relied on health‑department recommendations and conditions intended to reduce long-term maintenance and access issues. Final compliance will require the survey, recording, and any permits or approvals from county offices and the health department.