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Irving council directs staff to pursue new cemetery permitting standards, debates 25‑acre minimum
Summary
City planning staff recommended permitting new cemeteries under a Generalized Site Plan (SP2) with a recommended 25‑acre minimum to ensure perpetual care; councilors supported moving forward but some argued 25 acres could be a barrier and requested flexibility via variances and tighter site‑plan requirements.
City planning staff on Wednesday presented proposed Unified Development Code (UDC) amendments to create a process for permitting new cemeteries under state law, and the council directed staff to proceed while debating a recommended 25‑acre minimum.
Jocelyn Murphy, director of planning, explained the changes follow a 2023 state law that now permits cities above a population threshold to accept applications for new cemeteries. Murphy said state law generally requires new cemeteries to be perpetual care unless they are under 10 acres or owned and operated by a church, and that staff and industry experts advised a minimum starting size of 25 acres to…
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