Lombard plan commission recommends reducing cemetery setbacks, approves 5-foot minimum

May 19, 2025 — The Village of Lombard Plan Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend that the Board of Trustees approve a text amendment changing setback rules for cemeteries in the Conservation Recreation (CR) District, including a condition that certain interior setbacks be set at five feet.

The commission’s recommendation, forwarded to the Board of Trustees for consideration at its June 19, 2025, meeting, would revise sections of the Lombard Village Code related to cemetery setbacks (including proposed edits to §155.404(f) and related subsections). The change would reduce the current uniform 50-foot setback for cemetery “improvements” and differentiate setbacks based on the type of improvement and the zoning of adjacent properties.

Anna, a planner in the Department of Community Development, told the commission staff recommended the text amendment in the staff report and explained the proposal grew from an inquiry about setback requirements at Allerton Ridge Cemetery on Highland Avenue. “We do recommend approval of the text amendment as presented in the staff report,” Anna said, adding the draft ordinance distinguishes between buildings and above‑grade structures, and more passive elements such as at‑grade memorials and burial plots without markers.

Under the draft language presented by staff, buildings and above‑grade burial structures in the CR District would generally follow setbacks comparable to those required in business districts (for example, a 30‑foot front setback for buildings). The amendment would treat at‑grade memorials and unmarked plots differently, proposing much smaller interior setbacks because those features are more passive in nature. Staff also said pedestrian pathways would not be subject to the 30‑foot drive/aisle setback.

Commission discussion focused on how small the proposed interior setbacks for at‑grade memorials and unmarked burial plots should be. Commissioners raised concerns that a two‑foot setback (in the draft language) could allow activity too close to graves and make routine maintenance or fence installation difficult. The staff presentation noted an earlier draft included a one‑foot setback and that the village building commissioner had advised that two feet offered a safer margin for fence posts and similar work.

Commissioner Flanagan moved that the commission accept the findings of the staff (IDRC) report and recommend approval of PC 25‑08 to the corporate authorities, with one condition: amend §155.404(f), subsections 3(b)(2) and 3(b)(4) to increase the referenced interior setbacks from two feet to five feet. Commissioner Johnston seconded the motion. The roll call vote recorded Commissioners Flanagan, Johnston, Sweetser, Berson and Chair Giuliano in favor; no nays or abstentions were recorded. The motion carried unanimously and will be forwarded to the Board of Trustees for final action at its June 19, 2025 meeting.

The amendment, if adopted by the Board of Trustees as recommended, would increase the amount of usable area within cemetery parcels by setting smaller setbacks for certain passive features while preserving larger setbacks for buildings and other active improvements. The staff packet and the plan commission report included a proposed definitions update to clarify terms used to distinguish types of cemetery improvements.

No members of the public filed public participation forms or offered testimony in the hearing. The commission also approved routine meeting minutes and introduced a new director of economic development and planning, Trevor, who attended his first night meeting.

The plan commission’s recommendation does not change the zoning of any property; it is a text amendment to how setbacks are measured and applied in the CR District and will take effect only if and when the Board of Trustees adopts the ordinance.