Snyderville Basin Cemetery board proposes PRI parcel; neighbors press traffic, visual and process concerns

The Snyderville Basin Cemetery District presented a preferred site on county‑owned PRI land between Olympic Parkway and Bear Cub Drive and solicited public comment at a crowded hearing. Board members described a memorial‑park approach—flat, low‑profile markers, a plaza and walking paths—intended to avoid the large monuments commonly associated with traditional cemeteries.

“Most of the sites we evaluated on the outskirts of town are adjacent to a freeway, which would not promote tranquility,” the district’s chair said in explaining site selection. Board landscape architect Pete Gillwold described alternatives considered, hydrology and geotechnical work completed to evaluate site suitability, and design elements such as a 200‑foot buffer and berming adjacent to Highway 224.

Public testimony was sharply divided. Several longtime Basin residents urged timely action, citing lack of local burial space and calling the plan a thoughtful memorial park. Multiple Bear Hollow residents urged the board to pause and return with additional neighborhood outreach, a traffic analysis, and more detailed visual/ridgeline renderings; they expressed concern about primary access routing, the potential for Bear Cub Drive to become a cut‑through, and the loss of open space. Board members and county counsel explained procedural next steps: the district must pursue deed‑restriction amendments, obtain stakeholder consents, and any final conveyance would require county manager and, for parcels over $500,000, council consent. Councilors asked the cemetery board to expand outreach and report back; they did not approve conveyance this evening.