Smithtown Cemetery seeks more plots

Running out of room for new plots at the historic Smithtown Cemetery, the burial ground’s owners are planning to expand.

The Smithtown Cemetery Association has purchased a vacant, 3/4-acre parcel north of the 10-acre graveyard, between North Country Road and Nissequogue River Road, said Town of Smithtown planning director Frank DeRubeis.

The cemetery, one of the town’s oldest, contains graves and headstones from the mid-19th century.

The cemetery association must receive approval of a site plan by the town board before it can begin digging graves, DeRubeis said.

Cemetery officials could not be reached for comment.

The town board on Tuesday approved a zoning change that returns the vacant parcel to residential zoning. It had been zoned for professional business for at least two years.

Cemeteries are permitted in residential zones but not business zones, DeRubeis said.