Alsip Trustees Deny Funeral Director's Appeal To Build Crematory

ALSIP, IL — A funeral director’s pitch to open a crematorium was denied by Alsip village trustees at Monday’s board meeting. Deavolon Cotton Sr. had earlier gone before the Alsip Planning and Zoning Commission last month, which voted 6-0 not to recommend Cotton’s request for a zoning variance.

Cotton, who owns and operates Legacy Cremation Services, had proposed to build a crematory in an industrial park at 11615 S Austin Ave., but needed a zoning change to industrial-special use. The crematory would have shared a building with

Planning commissioners and residents raised concerns about carbon emissions, toxins and particulates being injected into the air and wafting over homes west of the proposed crematory.

A super-majority of five village trustees was needed to appeal the plan commission’s decision. The village board upheld the plan commission’s decision to not recommend the zoning variance.

“There was no argument, no discussion and no challenge,” Mayor John Ryan told Patch. “The location was not that ideal, he would be lucky to have enough parking. It wasn’t a good mix.”