The Will County Board unanimously voted Thursday to update its ordinances requiring anyone wanting to develop a cemetery to obtain a special use permit from the county board.

The issue arose in May when site work began on the Muslim Ummah Cemetery at 18131 S. Meader Road in Homer Township.

Nearby residents said they were caught off guard when construction began and they learned a cemetery was a permitted use under the existing county rules. Their concern was how the planned cemetery’s eco-friendly burial process would affect their private wells and drinking water.

That sparked county officials to look closer into their ordinances regulating cemeteries, and the county’s Land Use Committee and Planning and Zoning Commission has researched cemetery ordinances since May.

Brian Radner, director of development services with the Will County Land Use Department, said cemeteries have not been developed in unincorporated areas of Will County in more than 20 years. Existing cemeteries, however, have been improved or expanded, he said.

By updating the text amendment, any cemetery would no longer be a permitted use but rather a special use requiring board approval to ensure their location minimizes any negative land use on neighbors.

The Will County Board Executive Committee next month will assign a committee to research what criteria the board would consider when approving cemeteries, such as looking at the impact on traffic, parking, stormwater management or other conditions the board decides to include.

The Muslim Ummah Cemetery has already received the permits necessary to develop 40 acres of land, Radner said. The permit includes site work to create a cemetery as well as road work, stormwater management, a fence and landscaping, he said.

If the Muslim Ummah Cemetery comes forward and wants to build a funeral home, then it would require a zoning change and approval by the county board, Radner said.

The Muslim Ummah Cemetery’s website said the burials will be natural and environmental friendly with no embalming of the body and no need for a cement liner or casket. The body is wrapped in a biodegradable shroud and placed directly into the earth in compliance with Islam practice. The group has been working since 2020 on the cemetery’s plans.

More than 200 people attended a meeting in May at the Homer Glen Village Hall, saying a study done in the United Kingdom states human burials should not be done within 250 meters, or about 820 feet, of any well where water is intended for human consumption or used in food production.

Sean Conners, the Will County Health Department’s environmental health division director, at the time said this type of burial is probably the greenest option with low risk for contamination.

The cemetery’s website says it has space to accommodate 24,000 graves and would be open to all Muslims wishing to be buried in a dedicated Muslim cemetery.

Board member Jackie Traynere, the Democrat Leader from Bolingbrook, said in June the Muslim Ummah Cemetery is only expecting to have about 20 burials a year.

Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.