Forest Lawn Cathedral City Specific Plan Project

The City of Cathedral City is advancing a long-term planning initiative to transform its 10-acre Forest Lawn property into a unified cemetery campus, encompassing both the existing North Area cemetery and the redevelopment of a former self-storage facility in the South Area. This project involves the adoption of a Specific Plan that permits the construction of up to 30,000 square feet of occupied space—including reception areas, a chapel, restrooms, and support facilities—and up to 315,000 square feet of non-occupied space such as wall crypts, columbaria, and burial gardens. The plan significantly expands interment capacity by adding approximately 84,000 total spaces, with a net increase of about 199,500 square feet in non-occupied area following the removal of the existing storage structure. Accompanying this plan is a zoning amendment to change the designation from Planned Community Commercial to Neighborhood Business Park, aligning land use with the cemetery’s functional and operational needs. The project was formally introduced by the City Council on May 13, 2026, and includes a General Plan Amendment and a Mitigated Negative Declaration to address environmental impacts. The initiative is spearheaded by Forest Lawn, with Dennis Madison listed as the applicant and Manuel Rocha serving as the City’s primary point of contact. The effort represents a major enhancement to public services in Cathedral City, transitioning underutilized commercial land into a dedicated memorial and funeral service facility designed for long-term community use. The project’s scope reflects a comprehensive approach to expanding burial capacity while maintaining landscape integration and functional efficiency within a single, cohesive development.