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Board reaffirms University property as preferred cemetery site after advisory committee consultation
Summary
After meetings with stakeholders including the base, county open-space staff and the Charles Foundation, the Snyderville Basin Cemetery District reaffirmed the University of Park (UOP) parcel as its preferred site and directed further outreach, boundary adjustments and due diligence.
The Snyderville Basin Cemetery District Board reaffirmed the University of Park (UOP) parcel as its preferred site for a future cemetery after review by an advisory committee and discussion of neighbor and stakeholder concerns.
Board member Pete, chair of an advisory group formed to consult on the preferred site, reported the committee met with representatives from the base, the UOP, the Charles Foundation and Summit County open space director Jessica Kirby. Committee members said there is general support for a cemetery but stakeholder concerns remain about view corridors, the site's sense of arrival, trail alignments, parking impacts during services and potential drainage or spring protection issues.
Pete said committee members offered to work with the district to avoid placing trails within the cemetery boundary and that the district has offered to pay the cost of relocating a single-track trail of roughly 750 feet, provided the reroute does not materially increase steepness. The committee reported the district has already reduced its initial proposed boundary by approximately 1.5 acres to accommodate concerns.
Pete and other board members noted that early modelling shows a relatively low initial demand: the district could likely operate for 20 years on a small developable footprint of 2-3 acres depending on burial type and density (the committee cited about 1,000 traditional burials per acre as a planning figure for standard 8-by-3 plots; the board said this includes cremation interments). The advisory committee asked the district to reaffirm the site so stakeholders would work cooperatively on boundary lines, parking, trail realignments, and design goals intended to be "low impact." The board voted to reaffirm the UOP parcel as its preferred site; a motion to reaffirm passed with a second and voice assent.
Board members discussed next steps including additional public outreach, engagement with county planning and health officials during site due diligence, test pits and hydrology checks, and drafting a master development plan or conditional-use approach that would show phased buildout, access, and low-profile markers. The board also asked staff to invite cemetery operators and designers to present at a future meeting to inform a business and operations plan.
