Plans for Queen Creek funeral home going back to council

The Queen Creek Town Council is expected to once again take up a request to annex and rezone land for a proposed funeral home on 2.72 acres on the northwest corner of Ocotillo and Hawes roads.

During its Nov. 19 meeting, the council approved SCI Shared Resources LLC’s requests for a continuance on annexing a 0.14-acre parcel on the site that is currently in Maricopa County, as well as rezoning and site plan approvals for the overall project.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the council will deal with the annexation on its consent agenda, while rezoning and the site plan will be voted on following a public hearing.

SCI Shared Resources, which does business at SCI Funeral Services, is asking that, if the 0.14 parcel is annexed, the entire 2.72 acres site be rezoned from rural to light commercial to build a single-story, 7,630-square-foot funeral home and associated parking. 

According to a staff report, it is “unclear as to why this (0.14-acre parcel) was not annexed when the surrounding properties were annexed in 1996.”

The Queen Creek Planning Commission unanimously voted Nov. 12 to recommend approval of the rezoning and site plan.

The project site is surrounded by an existing residential community to the west, the Queen Creek Wash to the north, Ocotillo Road and residential estate lots to the south, and Hawes Road and the Queen Creek Wash to the east.

SCI’s representative, the law firm of Pew & Lake, held a neighborhood meeting about the project on June 25. Six residents attended the meeting.

“A number of questions were asked, but most notably the main question was will there be any type of a cremation activity occurring on site, and the applicant identified ‘no,’ that is not going to be included,” Town Principal Planner Les Johnson told the planning commission at the time it recommended approval of SCI’s requests.

Sean Lake of Pew & Lake told the commission the company “really tried to position the building in the middle of the site so that they have little impact on the surrounding property owners and the wash.”

Branded as Dignity Memorial, the company has several funeral homes in the Valley, but this will be its first location in Queen Creek.

The council meeting starts at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 17, at the Community Chambers, 20727 E. Civic Parkway.

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