The Canyon Lake City Council voted unanimously Thursday to adopt a resolution opposing the proposed Crescent Garden Cemetery in the Meadowbrook area of unincorporated Riverside County and signaled that it will notify county planning officials and supervisors of the city’s position.

Councilmember Smith said the council was acting in response to resident complaints and regional impacts. “I’ve received nothing but opposition on this project,” Smith said during the discussion, adding that traffic from nearby development already affects the area and that many neighbors who own property adjacent to the site raised environmental concerns.

The city received a public comment and technical concern from Darcy Burke, director of the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District. Burke told the council EVMWD has issued a will-serve letter to the developer — meaning the district has sufficient supply to deliver water if the project is built — but that the district is preparing technical comments on water quality. “We have issued a will-serve letter to this developer, which all that means is we have enough water, should they build their project, that we could deliver water to the project,” Burke said. She added that her agency’s water-quality expert told her that mitigation for certain risks would be difficult: “there’s nothing you could do in his mind that would mitigate the risk to public health.”

Council discussion referenced other regional projects and officials. Smith said she had met with Supervisors Karen Spiegel and Supervisor Medina (the district representing the project site) and that county hearings are expected later this year: the item likely will be considered by the Riverside County Planning Commission first, possibly in September or October, and then by the Board of Supervisors. “This is a process,” Smith said, noting the planning commission and supervisors will review the project and that constituents should continue to contact their supervisors.

After brief public comment and Council discussion, the council approved the resolution opposing the cemetery and indicated the city manager should forward the council’s position to Riverside County planning officials and the supervisors representing the affected district. The roll-call vote was 5–0.

The council’s action is advisory to Riverside County, which has jurisdiction over the Meadowbrook site. County planning and the Board of Supervisors will retain authority to approve, condition, or deny the project; the resolution communicates Canyon Lake’s opposition and technical concerns raised by the water district.

Background and next steps: the site is in unincorporated Riverside County (District 1). Councilmembers said the cemetery proposal has drawn attention in the community and from the local media and property-owners association. The county’s planning commission is the next formal review body; residents and the city may submit written comments to the county’s Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors as the project proceeds through those hearings.

For now, the city’s formal action is a resolution opposing the Crescent Garden Cemetery and a request that the city manager transmit the council’s concerns and the water district’s technical comments to Riverside County planning staff and the Board of Supervisors.