Crystal Cathedral Gets Approval for Cemetery on Part of Property

In the face of strong neighborhood opposition, the Garden Grove City Council voted 3 to 2 Monday night to allow the Crystal Cathedral to use part of its property for a cemetery.

The cemetery, which will accommodate the remains of as many as 8,000 worshipers, will be on the northwest end of the church property at Lewis Street and Chapman Avenue. The church’s coordinating pastor, the Rev. Herman Ridder, stressed that engineering and design plans have yet to be formulated and there is no timetable for completion of the cemetery. He said the first interment could take place within two years.

Ridder--noting that Christianity has a rich tradition of burial on church grounds, including plots below the floor of Westminster Abbey--said the project is in keeping with the philosophy of the Rev. Robert Schuller, church leader and television evangelist.

“In a rootless society like ours, we think it’s important to provide a place that we call an affectional center, where people can be buried in a place that’s familiar to them,” Ridder said.

Cemetery reservations will be on a “first-come, first-served” basis, he said. Capacity will depend on the number of cremations, he said.

Neighbors Complained

The church announced plans for the cemetery and a six-story education center in 1985. However, the Garden Grove Planning Commission rejected that proposal during a stormy session in which church neighbors complained about parking problems, noise and the effect of a cemetery on property values.

After the City Council voted in February to conduct a study of the issue, Ridder announced that the church had withdrawn the educational center part of the proposal. The center is to be located across Chapman Avenue from the church in a building that now houses the church’s TV production facilities.

But the church would not let go of the cemetery plans, and Monday night, with positive study conclusions in hand, it prevailed. The $17,000 study, paid for by the church, said property values would not be affected by construction of the cemetery. The study was conducted by Willdan Associates, a private consulting firm.

The victory was not achieved without a criticism from neighbors, who disputed the study and said they believe that close proximity to a burial ground damages property values.

Others said they were concerned about the project taking away some of the church’s parking and worsening the traffic situation on surrounding streets.

Fears Loss of Center

Joyce Jennrich, a church member who lives on Anzio Street, said she believes that the church will have to demolish a small youth center on the lot to make way for the cemetery.

“I just worry about the kids,” she said. “We raised our children over there, and it made our lives easier because they were taught good values. I think a lot of youths are turned off now because (the church) has an emphasis on so many big projects.”

Jerry Blum, manager of the city’s planning division, said conditions of approval for the project include requiring the church to retain trees, some higher than 30 feet, on the property line and raising a wall to seven feet to partly conceal the cemetery. However, he noted that some two-story houses probably still would have unobstructed views.

Ridder argued that the cemetery will enhance the area, citing conceptual plans for a “beautiful” garden and some sort of meditation center on the grounds.