As many people see it, the fact that cremations now outpace burials 2-to-1 in the U.S. is a good thing for one key reason – it reduces the need for new cemeteries.
Let’s face it, unless you’re planning to establish a family cemetery, virtually no one wants a cemetery next door to their home. That was certainly the case for many residents in South Side San Antonio after an area was recently re-zoned to allow for the construction of a new 72-acre cemetery and funeral home. But in Texas where the cremation rate is reported to be around 49%, more communities could face the same dilemma.
Cemetery Construction Controversies That Can Happen in Many Communities Across Texas
The construction of a new cemetery is not going to be a quick and easy process, largely because the location is always hotly debated. That’s exactly what happened in San Antonio recently when Service Corporation International (SCI) requested that the city rezone a 72-acre parcel along U.S. Highway 281 directly across the road from a residential neighborhood. The San Antonio City Council agreed to the rezoning of the area in order for the cemetery to be constructed despite people in the nearby area and the South Side Independent School District strongly opposing it.
Now, you may be thinking that it’s against the law for cemeteries to be constructed within the city limits. And you would have been right prior to 2023. That year new state legislation was approved that allowed Texas cities to consider proposals for new cemeteries inside city borders.
The most recent proposal in San Antonio proves that legislation may need to be reconsidered. Here’s a closer look at some of the controversies surrounding the construction of SCI’s new cemetery.
Choosing Global Corporations Over Locals
SCI is one of those mega corporations that’s been trying to create a monopoly within the death care industry. They already own 1,900 cemeteries, nine of which are in San Antonio. They even gobbled up Porter Loring Mortuaries, a family-owned funeral home that’s been in San Antonio for over 100 years. SCI has the type of funding to pay ridiculously overpriced amounts for land and offer additional incentives as a way to sway city councils in their favor over the local residents. And it appears that’s the case in San Antonio given that SCI announced they would donate five acres of land for public use.
It’s also troubling that in May 2024 SCI paid California $23 million in a settlement when they were investigated for violating consumer protection laws in regard to how they were marketing and selling their cremation services. And that wasn’t the first pay-off. SCI paid a whopping $203 million settlement in a 2022 federal class-action lawsuit related to their practices in selling pre-arranged funeral services.
All of these events were causes of concern for the locals, who weren’t impressed by SCI’s promises to give back to the community.
Lower Property Values
Using the land for a cemetery is financially advantageous for SCI at the expense of everyone else around them. Residents of the neighboring Mission Del Lago community had a number of concerns, and their property values were at the top of the list.
The residents have good reason to be concerned. According to Realtor.com, being next to a cemetery can lower property values by 12% compared to similar homes without a graveyard nearby. When given the choice, the majority of buyers are going to choose a house that isn’t next door to a cemetery even if it’s a little cheaper.
Right now the land proposed for the new cemetery is undeveloped. While residents would like to see amenities like grocery stores and residences in the 77-acre area, a green space is preferable to a cemetery. And that’s a great segway to the next point that opponents had.
Loss of Alternative Land Use
Another argument that’s often made against the construction of a new cemetery within a city is the fact that the land can’t be used for anything else, basically forever. Due to embalming fluids and the difficulty of moving bodies, even if a cemetery ceases operations it’s pretty much there for good.
That’s something that local residents brought up before the San Antonio City Council approved SCI’s new cemetery. They argued that a better use for the land would be housing that’s needed or a grocery store to serve the nearby residents who currently have to cross highways to buy groceries.
It was even pointed out that other cemeteries in Bexar County still have space for burials and the need for burial space is declining as cremation rates rise. Even as the population grows in the South Side area, the need for another cemetery was questionable.
Lost Tax Revenue
Did you know that cemeteries are tax exempt? Yep, the land that a cemetery is on isn’t taxed right down to family cemeteries (although only the portion of the property with the cemetery is exempt).
This was the major contention point for the South Side ISD. They brought up the fact that choosing to build a cemetery instead of housing or retail meant the school district would lose out on vital tax revenue for the foreseeable future. This is a serious concern given that the student population is growing and the South Side ISD 2024-2025 school year budget came in short by $560,000.
Ultimately, the San Antonio City Council voted 9-1 in favor of the rezoning. The reasoning that was cited by a few council members was that they didn’t feel that a retail or residential project would present itself for that parcel of land. Now, we’ll never know.
At Cremation.Green we give Texas families alternatives to traditional burial that requires cemetery space. From eco-friendly flame cremation to water cremation to natural organic reduction, there are other options that can aid in land conservation so that new cemeteries aren’t necessary. To learn more about these death care services, you can reach us by phone, text or email any hour of the day.
