| Why does Eternal
Hills need to expand the cemetery? |
Eternal Hills has been serving the needs
of Oceanside and North County since 1948. Today, most of the current
cemetery area is committed and there is now less than a two year inventory
of interment space for the community. This expansion plan is anticipated
to meet the needs of the community for the next 20-30 years. Without
this expansion, Oceanside families and others served by Eternal Hills
would need to turn to other limited burial options, most located 30
miles or more from the community. |
| How big is the
expansion and what will it include? |
The Eternal Hills property is a total of
130 acres of which 44 acres are currently used for the existing cemetery.
The proposed expansion would add an additional 22 acres for cemetery
and other uses. A total of 64 acres on the property would be preserved
as permanent open space and natural habitat. The expansion will include
cemetery areas, service roads, five mausoleum buildings a detention
basin near Fire Mountain Drive and a sedimentation pond at the north
edge of the property to handle water run-off and erosion to help protect
the Loma Alta Creek. |
| Why is the expansion
planned for the western portion of the Eternal Hills property? |
The expansion is planned for the western
portion of the Eternal Hills property to serve as a natural extension
of the existing cemetery area. It can easily connect with the existing
internal road network and the slope area offers an excellent setting
for a beautiful cemetery grounds. This area was also selected to preserve
a designated wildlife corridor and the eastern portion of the property.
That area is also partially under a utility corridor and would require
extensive import of fill dirt from offsite because the grade is substantially
lower than the adjacent cemetery land. |
| Will the new mausoleum
buildings and landscaping block views from Fire Mountain Drive? |
Currently, the new mausoleum buildings
planned for the area near Fire Mountain Drive are set back from the
road by approximately 27-30 feet. The area between the structures and
the road will be attractively landscaped and contain a drainage swale
to capture storm water. The height of these structures is approximately
24 ft. which is only slightly higher than the elevation of the homes
across the street. Based on comments received from the community, we
are re-evaluating our site design to determine alternatives for the
height and placement of these structures. We are also closely reviewing
the landscape plan along Fire Mountain Drive to provide a layout that
will preserve views from this street. |
| Can the location
of the planned mausoleum buildings be changed to reduce their impacts
on views through the property? |
The Eternal Hills planning team is evaluating
all of the comments we have received from neighbors and the public.
Our goal is to have a plan that preserves the wonderful views across
the cemetery. This suggestion will be studied and considered before
public hearings are held later this year. Eternal Hills will be communicating
with our neighbors about potential design options. |
| How much of the
natural habitat is preserved in the expansion plan? |
A total of 64 acres of the property
will be preserved as permanent natural habitat as part of the expansion
plan. A portion of this area near El Camino Real will be revegetated
with native plantings to enhance its biological habitat value. |
| How will erosion
into Loma Alta Creek below the site be controlled? |
Eternal Hills does install erosion controls
for the cemetery area per state guidelines. There is however a significant
amount of storm water runoff that enters the site from Fire Mountain
Drive that now runs down a natural channel into the Creek. With this
project, this storm water will be controlled with a detention basin
near Fire Mountain Drive that will slow water velocity and a new sedimentation
pond at the bottom of the slope near the Creek to capture runoff water
and sediment before it enters the Creek. This will be a significant
improvement over current conditions and help improve the habitat and
water quality of Loma Alta Creek. |
| Will the Native
American site near the water tank be preserved in the plan? |
There were native American artifacts discovered
near the water tank at the western edge of the property. This is not
unusual in the coastal area and a mitigation plan that complies with
State CEQA Guidelines for this site is included in the Draft EIR. Written
comments to the EIR received from tribal representatives have indicated
acceptance of the mitigation program. Other comments from the public
about this site have been received and Eternal Hills is evaluating
the mitigation plan and the expansion plan layout to determine if additional
adjustments to the plan are warranted. |
| Some people have
said that Eternal Hills has violated its CUP in the past with illegal
grading. Is that true and how can we be assured that the boundaries
of the new plan will be followed in the future? |
In 1994, a small area on the eastern
portion of the property was graded for additional burial and soil storage
area. The City of Oceanside issued a grading permit for this work so
it is not a violation as some have characterized it. The area included
in the expansion plan will be graded at one time so the exact boundaries
of the expansion will be set. The City will monitor this grading to
ensure that it occurs within the approved expansion area. |
| How can the public
be involved in this plan? |
The public will have a continuing opportunity
to comment on the Eternal Hills expansion plan through the city public
hearings on the proposal. Eternal Hills will remain open to comments
and suggestions from the community. There is also a project website
where the public can go to get up to date information at www.eternalhillsoceanside.com. |
