The San Rafael Planning Commission has approved a project to construct a new garden mausoleum at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery in Terra Linda.

The project will create 420 crypts and 950 niches within five mausoleum structures on the northwest side of the historic cemetery at 270 Los Ranchitos Road. The structures will stand 16 feet, 7 inches.

The commission approved the plans on Tuesday.

“We’re very excited about the new project,” said Judy Edmonson, superintendent of the cemetery. “There’s always been a demand for crypts. We like to make sure we have everything people might want.”

Mount Olivet was built in 1880 after John and Maria Lucas donated 20 acres of their property to Saint Raphael Church.

John Lucas had inherited the land from his uncle Timothy Murphy, whose remains were later moved from Mission San Rafael to Mount Olivet. The Lucases are buried there, as are members of other Marin County pioneers, including those of the Pacheco, Miller and Freitas families.

William Richardson, a mariner and founder of Sausalito; James Black, a prominent ranch owner; and Edward Manuel McIntosh, an early settler and San Rafael magistrate, are also buried there.The St. Isabella’s Church assumed control of the graveyard in 1961. In 1982, the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery under the Archdiocese of San Francisco began to manage it.

Today, more than 15,000 people are interred there.

“It’s been many years since we’ve constructed new crypt buildings,” said Monica Williams, director of cemeteries. “We’re coming to the point where we need additional inventory to keep serving the community and funeral needs.”

Williams said the project has been many years in the making, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues.

The new garden mausoleum will be 2,244 square feet and constructed of brown and gray granite. The project, which comprises more than 40% of the existing square footage, required a major environmental and design review permit approval.

The project also required a historical resources review to be evaluated against the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for rehabilitation. A historical resources evaluation determined that because the project site is not near the concentration of historic burials, it “will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource.”

Jeff Kent, a planning commissioner, said there are eucalyptus trees in the area of the project site. He said the cemetery should hire an arborist to guide work to ensure the integrity of the trees and avoid any of them falling in the cemetery or onto the street.

The project team is still evaluating the project cost and timeline, but the organization is eager to get the project started, Williams said.

“We’re grateful for the support of the Planning Commission and staff members that put together a comprehensive report,” Williams said. “We’re very pleased with the design and think it echos the existing crypt buildings.”