More than 450 people participated in a hike last Saturday to protest against Creekside Memorial Cemetery proposed for the Tassajara Valley.
The event logistics were organized mostly by San Ramon community members along with some residents from Danville and Dublin.
San Ramon Vice Mayor Phil O'Loane also helped organize the protest. He has been open to the community and his fellow councilmen about his opposition of the plans for the cemetery.
Seth Adams of Save Mount Diablo, an organization that focuses on preserving Mount Diablo's natural lands, led the hike.
"People brought out tents, cases of water, they developed a traffic control plan and there were volunteers directing parking. They even brought a megaphone because they knew it would be a large turnout," he said.
Adams directed the group through the Tassajara ridge to the proposed cemetery site and explained the land use planning processes to them. The tour provided a visual of how much land would be developed and the cemetery's proximity to neighboring homes.
Organizers began planning the protest following a well-attended public workshop held by city council in June to bring awareness to the cemetery project.
Creekside Memorial Cemetery would be located at 7000 Camino Tassajara and occupy 58.7 acres of an approximately 222-acre space in unincorporated Contra Costa County east of the San Ramon city limits.
The plans for the project from developer Sid Corrie include four outdoor mausoleums, one indoor mausoleum, an administrative office and chapel building, storage building, corporation yard and space for over 100,000 burial plots.
Some of the concerns expressed by community members about the development include: the effects on the environment, potentially negative impacts on air quality during and after construction, destroying wildlife habitats, increased neighborhood traffic and lack of an adequate amount of water.
The land that the cemetery would occupy is under Contra Costa County's jurisdiction. The city of San Ramon does not have voting power over the issue; however, it is an area of interest to the city and some community members living close to the site.
"One of the main goals of the hike was to demonstrate concern, and that concern will ripple out to more San Ramon residents and people from other communities," Adams said.
Comments
Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Aug 22, 2014 at 8:23 am
on Aug 22, 2014 at 8:23 am
I wish there would be that kind of turnout against the sprawling housing developments, strip malls, and big box stores all swallowing up the landscape. A cemetery seems small potatoes
Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Aug 22, 2014 at 10:13 am
on Aug 22, 2014 at 10:13 am
Lack of water? That doesn't seem to have an affect on all the new homes tha are being built
Dublin
on Aug 22, 2014 at 11:14 am
on Aug 22, 2014 at 11:14 am
NO CEMETERY! WE DO NOT NEED ONE! WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO BUILD ON THE LAND IS SOME LOW INCOME HOUSING! ME AND MY ANCHOR BABIES NEED A PLACE TO SAY! VIVA AMERICA AND VIVA LOW INCOME HOUSING!
Dublin
on Aug 22, 2014 at 1:03 pm
on Aug 22, 2014 at 1:03 pm
Development is expected like a school, a community center or more housing but definitely not a cemetery. Cemetery does not add value to a community and the negative effects are non reversable!
Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Aug 22, 2014 at 1:26 pm
on Aug 22, 2014 at 1:26 pm
No worries! When the cemetery is full they'll build low income housing over the top of it!!
Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Aug 23, 2014 at 8:11 pm
on Aug 23, 2014 at 8:11 pm
To me, it is sad that so many are against a beautiful cemetery. We all die. Try finding a suitable place to bury your family members in the valley - where they lived and worked.
It really should not be such an issue to build a place for our loved ones. They can be peaceful and beautiful locations. As asset to a community.
Livermore
on Aug 25, 2014 at 9:30 am
on Aug 25, 2014 at 9:30 am
I think that most Americans are fearful of dying. The cover issue is that it will decrease the value of property.
The clergy in a position of helping folks feel more comfortable and accepting of their life cycle are also terrified of dying.
When the lights go out they go out.
i rest my case...
Livermore
on Aug 25, 2014 at 12:33 pm
on Aug 25, 2014 at 12:33 pm
What if the space was designed a site for a US Veterans cemetery, would it be more acceptable? NOT!
Guess why? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
Is the answer related to race/ethnicity, class, or religion?
Del Prado
on Aug 26, 2014 at 8:49 am
on Aug 26, 2014 at 8:49 am
The liberals hate the military. The want to help everyone in the world with our kid's lives yet spit on the Vets when they come home minus a leg. Let Obama, Boehner, Feinstein, Cholo, and Cruz's kids fight these worthless wars.
Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Aug 26, 2014 at 9:07 am
on Aug 26, 2014 at 9:07 am
I wonder how much of this protest is from Astroturf roots organizations. There are a number of large development companies coveting this ranch land and working to overturn our open space zoning laws.
Val Vista
on Aug 26, 2014 at 9:15 am
on Aug 26, 2014 at 9:15 am
It's OK to be afraid of dying. You're gonna die anyway. A cemetery is a nice, open green space that will add value to the area, not subtract it. And they are quiet..... very quiet.
We just have too many professional protesters, NIMBYs, and BANANAs. Give a though for the families of the deceased - they'd like a resting place for their young ones.
another community
on Aug 26, 2014 at 2:17 pm
on Aug 26, 2014 at 2:17 pm
These paid-for commenters act like this is some small community cemetery nestled in the hills. This is a 150,000 grave monstrosity that will be run for-profit. It will be an eyesore with a huge parking lot, roads, buildings, etc. destroying the Tassajara Valley forever. If it gets approved, every land speculator in the area will be buying up land trying to get their own cemetery built beside it. You'll have Colma II in the Tassajara Valley if the developers get their way.
Livermore
on Aug 26, 2014 at 2:28 pm
on Aug 26, 2014 at 2:28 pm
small town...too bad...families want loved ones buried...that or cremated and their ashes dropped all over plutonia...
if anybody doesn't want to live near a cemetery, then moveon.com!
problem solved...
Birdland
on Aug 27, 2014 at 12:54 pm
on Aug 27, 2014 at 12:54 pm
Imagine that, a business run for profit. What a concept, wish I would have thought of that.
'Paid-for' complaints about tall towers and buildings, which the the EIR states is in line with EXISTING structures in the surrounding area, including the Windemere housing tract, and would be mitigated by existing and or new landscaping. Complaints of road and parking space eyesores which the EIR states will also be mitigated by existing landscaping and new landscaping.
Apparently more housing or shopping centers are much more appealing, in the eyes of the protestors. If the cemetery isn't built, inevitably, housing or businesses will occupy that land eventually. As much as us 'old timers' (lived in the valley for 50+ years) would love for it to still be quiet and nothing but ranch land, you cant stop the progress.
Castlewood
on Aug 28, 2014 at 10:52 pm
on Aug 28, 2014 at 10:52 pm
When San Ramon stops over building, they can complain about a cemetery that has probably become necessary due to the extreme building by both San Ramon and Dublin. A cemetery should be the least of their concerns. What about water shortages made worse by the non stop development of every piece of vacant land someone get their hands on. What about all the damn traffic all this building is creating. Hell, it takes me twenty minutes to go from Pleasanton to Dublin because of the non stop building. And these newer residents taxing our resources think they can protest a cemetery? I think not. It makes me sick when new people to the area tax our resources (library, water, roads) when they weren't here paying the price for these things that exist. And then they now want to demand that certain necessary services happen anywhere but their new backyard. Be grateful that you live here even without contributing to the infrastructure that the rest of us have pre paid for you over decades.
And by the way, keep San Ramon problems in San Ramon and on your San Ramon paper. We don't need to hear about their issues that they created themselves. They've made their bed.