Forest Park commission recommends conditional use to allow billboard on Concordia Cemetery land

The Forest Park Planning and Zoning Commission voted 3–2 to recommend that the village council approve a preliminary plat of subdivision, a map amendment from B-1 neighborhood shopping to I-2 industrial and a conditional-use permit to allow a highway-facing billboard on a small parcel of Concordia Cemetery land.

The petitioner, identified in the record as "Tamor," told the commission the sign would provide a steady revenue stream to support long-term cemetery maintenance and infrastructure. "It will only have a positive impact," Tamor said, arguing the parcel sits next to the expressway, the CTA maintenance property and the Des Plaines River and therefore has limited potential for other development.

Kurt Carpenter, introduced by the petitioner as executive director of Concordia Cemetery, described the cemetery’s financial structure and said state law requires contributions to an endowed care fund. "It's kinda like having your 401(k)," Carpenter said, explaining endowed-care…