Looking west from Littleton Cemetery. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
In Littleton, a dying business is looking to grow.
“People die every day that never died before,” said Chuck Martinez, president of the Littleton Cemetery Association.
The nonprofit cemetery at 6155 S. Prince St., which has existed for longer than the city itself, is looking to add 7 acres of burial ground to the south of its existing location.
So far, 13,000 people have been buried in the existing 14-acre cemetery, including town founder Richard Little and Alfred Packer, who confessed to cannibalism in Colorado in the 1870s. Cemetery superintendent John Houser, who lives in a house on the property, said the existing site has room for 600 to 700 more burials.
“I haven’t seen anyone get up yet,” Houser quipped.
The grave of cannibal Alfred Packer in Littleton Cemetery. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
The cemetery wants to expand to the south, to the other side of West Ridge Road. Public records show the cemetery bought the land, a portion of which borders homes, in multiple deals in the late 1990s for a combined $345,000.
“This is a small thing,” Martinez said. “We just want to clear some land and bury some bodies.”
First, however, the property will need to be rezoned by the city. The cemetery has spent $27,500 on permitting and fees to kickstart the process. Other cemeteries have claimed that Littleton is running out of graves, causing some potential customers to look elsewhere, Martinez said.
A columbarium at Littleton Cemetery. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
Though the current cemetery is largely composed of headstones and typical graves, the new section would cater more toward cremated remains. Ossuaries, a communal ash burial container, and columbariums, large walls for storing urns, would dot the proposed expansion throughout, in benches, along paths and in between graves.
“It’s not going to be your typical, old-timey cemetery,” Martinez said of the addition.
Houser, who has been superintendent for 50 years, sets the pricing. A full-size grave costs $3,000, plus $2,900 for the actual burial. An ash burial costs $1,200. Most overhead goes towards labor, Martinez said.
“We’re one of the cheapest cemeteries around,” he said.
A map showing the existing cemetery in green and the proposed expansion to the south outlined in black. (Littleton city records)
Looking west from Littleton Cemetery. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
In Littleton, a dying business is looking to grow.
“People die every day that never died before,” said Chuck Martinez, president of the Littleton Cemetery Association.
The nonprofit cemetery at 6155 S. Prince St., which has existed for longer than the city itself, is looking to add 7 acres of burial ground to the south of its existing location.
So far, 13,000 people have been buried in the existing 14-acre cemetery, including town founder Richard Little and Alfred Packer, who confessed to cannibalism in Colorado in the 1870s. Cemetery superintendent John Houser, who lives in a house on the property, said the existing site has room for 600 to 700 more burials.
“I haven’t seen anyone get up yet,” Houser quipped.
The grave of cannibal Alfred Packer in Littleton Cemetery. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
The cemetery wants to expand to the south, to the other side of West Ridge Road. Public records show the cemetery bought the land, a portion of which borders homes, in multiple deals in the late 1990s for a combined $345,000.
“This is a small thing,” Martinez said. “We just want to clear some land and bury some bodies.”
First, however, the property will need to be rezoned by the city. The cemetery has spent $27,500 on permitting and fees to kickstart the process. Other cemeteries have claimed that Littleton is running out of graves, causing some potential customers to look elsewhere, Martinez said.
A columbarium at Littleton Cemetery. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
Though the current cemetery is largely composed of headstones and typical graves, the new section would cater more toward cremated remains. Ossuaries, a communal ash burial container, and columbariums, large walls for storing urns, would dot the proposed expansion throughout, in benches, along paths and in between graves.
“It’s not going to be your typical, old-timey cemetery,” Martinez said of the addition.
Houser, who has been superintendent for 50 years, sets the pricing. A full-size grave costs $3,000, plus $2,900 for the actual burial. An ash burial costs $1,200. Most overhead goes towards labor, Martinez said.
“We’re one of the cheapest cemeteries around,” he said.
A map showing the existing cemetery in green and the proposed expansion to the south outlined in black. (Littleton city records)
