Commission backs funeral home rezoning and CUP at Ocotillo & Hawes

The Queen Creek Planning & Zoning Commission approved a rezone, site plan and conditional use permit for a proposed funeral home on approximately 2.72 acres at the northwest corner of Ocotillo and Hawes.

Les Johnson, principal planner, described the project as a request to rezone the three‑parcel site to C‑2 to allow a roughly 7,600‑square‑foot funeral home with 66 parking spaces (the proposal exceeds minimum parking requirements). He noted a 6‑foot perimeter wall will be placed near three abutting residences, a stormwater drainage easement exists along the west edge, and access will be a full access on Ocotillo and a right‑in/right‑out on Hawes. Johnson said designs include a porte‑cochere facing Ocotillo and materials such as tile and stone veneer, with building heights generally around 18 feet and projecting elements up to 28 feet.

Johnson summarized neighborhood outreach: a June 23 meeting drew six residents and produced one substantive question about cremation, which the applicant addressed. "The main question was, will there be any type of a cremation activity occurring on-site?" Johnson said; staff and the applicant represented that cremation would not be part of the operation.

Applicant representative Sean Lake identified SCI as the operator and argued the funeral home is a low‑impact, dignified use appropriate for the corner. "This is a service that everybody needs," Lake said, and reiterated that no crematory is proposed.

The commission recorded a motion to approve rezone P23‑0173, rezone P24‑0071, site plan P25008 and the conditional use permit; the motion was seconded and voted to pass.

The staff report and project packet include a written comment in opposition from a non‑neighbor citing incompatibility and traffic concerns. Because the site involves annexation of a small unincorporated island parcel, related annexation paperwork will be considered by council concurrently as required by process. The commission’s action was a recommendation to council and represented staff’s and the applicant’s stated conditions and clarifications.