The chosen site at Gypsum Canyon is set to become a veterans cemetery, embraced by the community.
The Irvine City Council has voted against establishing a veterans cemetery at the Great Park, choosing instead to support the Gypsum Canyon site in Anaheim Hills. The decision, made during a recent council meeting, followed public opposition to the Great Park location. While Mayor Larry Agran advocated for the Great Park, the majority of council members raised concerns over property devaluation and funding issues. Despite Agran’s commitment to pushing for the cemetery at the Great Park, plans will move forward for the Gypsum Canyon site, backed by the region’s municipalities and veterans’ groups.
Irvine, California — The Irvine City Council has voted against the proposed construction of a veterans cemetery at the Great Park, favoring an alternate site at Gypsum Canyon in Anaheim Hills instead. The council’s decision came during a prolonged meeting that concluded early on May 28, 2025, where the vote resulted in a narrow 4-3 against Mayor Larry Agran’s proposal for the Great Park.
The city council meeting attracted significant public engagement, with the majority of comments expressing opposition to the Great Park site for the cemetery. Councilmembers Mike Carroll and Betty Martinez Franco stood in support of Agran’s initiative, whereas members William Go, James Mai, Kathleen Treseder, and Melinda Liu raised objections based on various concerns, including potential property devaluation associated with the cemetery’s presence.
William Go emphasized that the matter at hand was not solely about veterans, but rather about the implications of a cemetery at the designated location. As a result of the council’s decision, plans will now proceed to support the veterans cemetery at Gypsum Canyon, which has received unanimous backing from all 34 cities within Orange County and the Veterans Alliance of Orange County (VALOR).
The Great Park itself has historical significance as the former site of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, and discussions surrounding the cemetery at this location have been ongoing for over a decade. In 2017, the City of Irvine dedicated land for a cemetery, but the site was controversially shifted away from the Great Park, leading to a lawsuit by Agran and other advocates who argued that veterans’ groups had not been adequately consulted during the process. A subsequent referendum rejected the land swap that redirected the plans.
An earlier initiative in 2020, which garnered support from nearly 20,000 local residents, aimed to create a veterans cemetery at the “ARDA site” adjacent to the Great Park, but those plans were ultimately abandoned. The alternative Gypsum Canyon site now has substantial backing, including anticipated funding of $45 million from both county and state sources, with projections suggesting total development costs could approach $100 million when considering costs shared with a planned public cemetery.
The first phase of development for the veterans cemetery at Gypsum Canyon is estimated to cost around $123 million. Despite Agran’s claims that the Great Park remains the optimal location for a veterans cemetery, other council members raised doubts regarding funding and viability. Melinda Liu pointed to findings from a 2019 Orange County Grand Jury report, asserting that the California Department of Veterans Affairs would only support one official veterans cemetery in the county.
Agran has also expressed concerns about the adequacy of funding for the Gypsum Canyon site, stating that there was no financial backing in place to support its construction. Discussions surrounding the viability of the previously proposed ARDA site pointed to potential financial burdens related to environmental remediation, signaling high cleanup costs as a possible barrier to development.
Opponents of the Great Park proposal included the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, who critiqued the ARDA site as unfeasible and labeled it merely a “placeholder” for a future cemetery that was never intended to meet state funding standards.
Moving forward, Agran has committed to continuing advocacy for the veterans cemetery at the Great Park while shifting his focus toward the development of a memorial park and gardens at the same location. His ongoing commitment to establishing a cemetery at the Great Park is rooted in the belief that the city has a moral obligation to honor commitments made to veterans in the community.
California Assembly Approves Veterans Cemetery in Anaheim Hills
News Summary A retail center in Costa Mesa, known as Westport Plaza & Square, has…
News Summary The California state government is appealing a court ruling that favors Huntington Beach's…
News Summary The Irvine City Council has rejected a proposal for a veterans cemetery at…
News Summary A tragic incident unfolded at a gas station in Tustin, California, where a…
News Summary The American Coast Theater Company will present Arthur Miller's classic play 'Death of…
News Summary Residents in Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, and San Juan Capistrano are voicing concerns…