The Queen Creek Olive Mill is expanding to add olive groves, a restaurant, spa/pool, brewery and a boutique bed and breakfast hotel at the northeast corner of Combs and Rittenhouse roads.

The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-0 on Oct. 9 to recommend approval of rezoning 47.5 acres from R1-43 rural estate district to Agritainment/Planned Area Development. Absent were Chair Alex Matheson, Vice Chair Troy Young and Commissioner Jeremy Benson.

Sean Lake, Pew and Lake PLC, on behalf of Frantoio Hills LLC, requested the rezoning.

“This request is both for a conceptual expansion and to allow it in its existing state,” Planner I Steven Ester said to the commission.

“We’re talking about additional olive groves, a future restaurant and bottling warehouse, an event hall, a spa/pool, cider mill, a brewery, a boutique bed-and-breakfast hotel as well as a future home on site for the Rea Family --- you can see that towards the north portion of the property,” he said.

Queen Creek Olive Mill is a family-owned company founded at its current location in 1998. What started as a 1,000-tree olive orchard has expanded into a 7,000-tree orchard that produces 16 varieties of olives for pressing into extra virgin olive oil, Mr. Ester said in a memo to the commission.

Within the olive groves, there is an existing tasting room, restaurant, gift shop and the milling/production facility. Daily tours are offered seven times a day and there is an outdoor picnic area. Through the years, the mill has not only expanded the original building, but also added shade structures and various utility and commercial buildings, he said.

Approving the rezoning brings it into conformance with the town’s General Plan, Mr. Lake said to the commission.

“We request your support of the project. We think it’s an outstanding existing project and we look forward to future expansions that the Rea Family may do and what they envision to kind of tie all of that property together as part of the farm … as people come out and participate in that farm experience as they eat and recreate as well,” he said.

Commissioner David Gillette said he and his wife recently visited Napa Valley for the first time and he likes that the Olive Mill brings that feel to Queen Creek.

“Although it’s a little bit different, it’s just so fun to see the process of this community and the Olive Mill develop over time,” he said. “Thank you for what you guys are doing. We’re excited for the future.”

Agritainment uses are important to Queen Creek, another commissioner said.

“I’ve been promoting agritainment in Queen Creek for more than three years to get us to where we are with this zoning in our town and I am excited and proud that we have another applicant to come under this zoning in our quaint community,” Commissioner Steve Sossaman said.

“And I do agree this will be a one-off design --- which is super unique, individual --- and will bring a lot of commerce into our community and I applaud the Rea Family for --- excuse the pun --- plowing through the process of agritainment zoning,” he said.