Santa Clarita planning officials confirmed Eternal Valley Memorial Park has plans to expand its cemetery footprint by about 20 acres, in a request to change some of the zoning on the property and add some new features.
The plans for growth submitted to Santa Clarita City Hall in August come as residents continue to share concerns about the state of the grounds at the memorial park, which have drawn complaints since July 2024.
The property, adjacent to the Needham Ranch Business Park, is looking to rezone part of its 220-acre property that had been eyed for potential development.
“Although amended to Industrial/Business Park in 2003, Eternal Valley Memorial Park determined that … with the continued growth of the Santa Clarita Valley, the community would be better served by converting a portion (19.6 acres) of the Industrial/Business Park land back into cemetery use,” according to the plans obtained from the city’s Planning Division through a Public Records Act request.
A city official confirmed Monday the plans would require a public hearing, which would be for a date that has not yet been determined, but it was not expected to happen this year.
New plans
In addition to the rezoning, the cemetery would like to begin to expand into an unused portion of the business park zoning that was originally intended to be cemetery when the 1953 permit for EV was first issued.
Now some of that land is being used as a maintenance yard for the facility, and in addition to having an access road, the pad is relatively flat.
The land needs approximately 19,000 square feet of cemetery access roadway, “potentially up to 10,000 square feet of community mausoleum structures spread across three buildings, with the remainder in lawn burial and cremation garden development consistent with the existing Eternal Valley Memorial Park, as well as a 15-foot landscape buffer/setback along the joint Needham Ranch and Lot 64 property line.
“This will create a more attractive setting and orient the new development toward the cemetery and away from the adjacent industrial buildings,” according to the plan. “The proposed community mausoleum building will be similar to the recently approved community mausoleum with exterior accessible spaces and a small interior niche room. No restrooms or plumbing facilities will be provided. Those will be available at the existing funeral home and administration office as is currently available.”
An Eternal Valley representative from the Newhall office did not respond to a request for information about the pending expansion.
Current conditions
In response to the ongoing concerns about the brown grass, a Dignity Memorial representative wrote in an email sent Friday: “We are already receiving positive feedback from families this season, who are noticing the changes and expressing their satisfaction with the progress.”
Dignity Memorial operates Eternal Valley as part of a national chain for Service Corporation International, with “1,485 funeral service locations and 498 cemeteries in 44 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico,” according to its website.
Santa Clarita Valley resident Chan Reader did not have “positive feedback” for Eternal Valley, sharing pictures taken the previous week that showed brown grass surrounding his double plot in the Rose Garden: a spot for him and another where his 12-year-old son, Sean Reader, was buried.
In a phone conversation, Reader said he was frustrated by the cemetery’s response and promises for months that the grounds are being worked on “diligently.”
Reader said the memorial park advertises vacant plots with bright green grass online, which looks nothing like the grounds surrounding his son’s resting place.
James said there was an 18- to 24-month timeline for the repairs.
“Both wells are currently fully operational, and our grounds are showing steady improvement. We continue to work with the city to secure additional water resources, and city engineers are now completing the final stage of the project,” James wrote.
“Our irrigation contractor is prepared to proceed with the next phase, which includes renovating the irrigation system throughout the park. In addition, our landscaping contractors are actively installing new plants, shrubs, trees, and flowers.”
James reiterated the 18- to 24-month timeline for repairs that was shared back in 2024 when the complaints began to surface. At that time, some families, like the Mendelzons, said they already had been dealing with EV about the grass for months.
Reader said he filed a complaint with the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau for the Department of Consumer Affairs, but he knew it wasn’t going anywhere based on the response, so he was ready to look at legal remedies.
“According to the bureau’s records, we have previously received similar concerns about this matter, and it is presently being investigated. As a result, your complaint has been closed as redundant,” read the response from the Department of Consumer Affairs. “Please be advised that the details of your complaint have been taken into consideration and will be part of the licensing file.”
A representative with the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau did not respond to a phone call Monday.