Funeral, crematory plan up for final vote in Lake Villa
A controversial proposal for a crematory as part of an online funeral operation in a Lake Villa business park is expected to go to a formal village board vote next week.
Tadd Linderman wants to open his yet-to-be-named venture at Park Place Business Center. Caskets for funerals elsewhere or a cremation in the building at 473 Park Ave. would be sold online.
However, Linderman would need to adhere to a long list of conditions if he's to run the business in the 1,400-square-foot space.
Opponents voiced concerns at public meetings, including about the potential for toxic emissions from charred remains and bodily fluid disposal near existing businesses. Some of the opposition came from Park Place tenants.
Village Administrator Karl Warwick said Lake Villa's elected officials are to vote Wednesday on a conditional-use permit for the proposal. The session is set for 8 p.m. at village hall, 65 Cedar Ave.
If the plan is approved, Linderman will be required to install central air conditioning and have the cremation equipment near a wall farthest from an adjacent winery. Among other the conditions, he must use screening whenever a body is brought into the 24-hour-a-day business.
Mayor Frank Loffredo said Thursday that village officials "addressed everyone's concerns and then some" by requiring the conditions for Linderman to meet.
"In my 24 years of conditional uses, this is the most complicated, extensive list I've ever seen," Loffredo said.
Linderman said Thursday that no major changes were necessary for his plan to meet the requirements included in the conditional-use permit documents the village board will be asked to approve.
"We look forward to serving the community with a new and innovative approach to the death-care industry," he said.
Under his plan, Linderman would have an office area, a walk-in refrigerator, a preparation room and a cremation unit in the suite. He said the facility would have a strict odor-control system.
Members of Lake Villa's advisory zoning board of appeals established the conditions after a two-session public hearing ended in November. The panel members drafted the conditions after opponents questioned the proposal.
Loffredo said there was an issue of fairness regarding Linderman's plan to have a crematory at Park Place, because another one has been operating at the business park. He said he expects the village to discuss refining criteria for future crematory proposals.