Rezoning for funeral home OK’d

Concern expressed over parking, landscaping for site

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

A .512-acre tract has been rezoned from residential to residential-professional so Mowell Funeral Home can build a new location on property just behind its current site off Jeff Davis Drive.

Although the council approved the rezoning, several council members said they had difficulty with the variances that the business will need to construct the building as planned.

The necessary variances, which have not been considered by the council yet, include allowing parking in front of the building which is not allowed in the city’s Main Street zoning district.

Councilman Al Hovey-King said the variances “go against everything we’re trying to do with Main Street.”

David Mowell said the decision was made to have parking out front so the funeral home’s current location could remain operating while the new building is under construction. The extra parking is necessary because for some events at the funeral home, people are parking on the grass and anywhere they can because there are only two rows of parking currently, Mowell added.

Funeral home officials are trying to develop a plan to relocate the current funeral home so it can be preserved for its historical nature.

“I certainly don’t want to see that building demolished,” Hovey-King said.

Mayor Ken Steele said he was “quite pleased” the funeral home was staying in Fayetteville but the variances might be more palatable to the council if more landscaping was included. Mowell said the parking lot plan was already altered at the city’s request to include landscaped islands. He also noted that two rows of trees were built into the parking lot to create a special entryway effect.

Hovey-King voted against the rezoning, which was approved 4-1.