Funeral home with crematorium near Bensenville gets OK from DuPage County Board
DuPage County Board members have backed plans for a funeral home and crematorium to be built along Route 83 near Bensenville despite objections from village officials.
The facility proposed by Mokshdham Cremation Inc., a nonprofit group, would specialize in Hindu services but would be open to all faiths. The nonprofit also would offer low-cost cremation services, said Rashmi Patel, president of the organization.
Bensenville officials objected to the proposal, noting it was near homes, a school and park facilities. Currently, a vacant church sits on the 4.78-acre property at 5N047 Route 83.
“The village can appreciate the need for this type of facility. We really can,” Kurtis Pozsgay, Bensenville’s director of community and economic development, told county board members before their vote Tuesday. “We just don’t think this particular site is a good fit.”
He noted school and park officials also have objected to the project.
The property is zoned residential. But a funeral home and crematorium are allowed as a conditional use, county officials said.
County board members voted 16-2 in favor of the project.
“While I’ve always tried to listen and continue to my constituents, you’ve got to weigh that against the rights of the property owners to do what they can with their property,” said county board member Sam Tornatore, who also heads the board’s development committee.
He noted county board members have reviewed other proposals for the property and rejected those plans. He added the developer is addressing stormwater and wetland concerns in a way that leaves the property “in better shape than it was before.”
Before the county board vote, the proposal was approved by the county’s zoning board of appeals and development committee. In addition, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi sent a letter supporting the project.
The facility will be able to accommodate 200 to 300 people for services. The crematorium also will be built in a way to prevent the emission of any smoke or odor from the facility, said Jakob Pardhun of Cremation Systems.
Patel said he expects construction to start in the coming months and hopes the facility will open sometime in 2026.