New Cemetery in Prosser Heights

Original Article by Moonshine Ink

“A company called Better Place Forests, betterplaceforests.com, is currently trying to obtain a use permit for a for-profit cemetery on Lockwood Drive in Truckee. They only notify residents that live within 500 feet of the property that they are applying, so literally nobody in Prosser Heights knows about this — and everyone will be effected since we have just one outlet in our neighborhood.

Their plan:

• A visitor building, 12 parking spaces, walking trails

• Two to three processions per day in the daytime only (about 30 people per day).

• Visitors have to make an appointment, meet at a Better Place Forests office in downtown Truckee, and be escorted up to the property in a procession line.

• Visitations could occur on any day of the week (the facility would be closed during the winter).   

The Truckee municipal code states that use permits will only be issued if the project meets existing land uses and if there is no threat to the welfare of the town or surrounding properties.

Prosser Heights does not have any existing commercial operations, cemeteries, or anything of the like. Increased traffic in the form of what could be a 12-car procession line two to three times a day would be burdensome and dangerous by clogging our roads. The properties in proximity to a cemetery will lose 12% in value on average according to a study by realtor.com and would drag down real estate comps for our entire neighborhood. The Town of Truckee would also suffer from reduced property taxes because the cemetery would be established as an “environmental easement,” which is intentionally designed to reduce property values for tax purposes.

Better Place must have a public hearing with the planning commission in order to get the use permit. The date for the hearing has not been set. Contact Kirk Skierski at the town planning department to be notified of the hearing date and time: kskierski@townoftruckee.com or phone (530) 582-2927.”

~ Julie Gibbs