Pearland - Friendswood - Manvel | January 2026

Government

BY RACHEL LELAND

Pearland city officials deny permit for funeral home along Cullen Parkway

HUGHES RANCH RD.

Subject property

CRYSTAL LAKE DR.

Efforts to build a funeral home in Pearland will not move forward after City Council struck down a permit request in a 3-4 vote at its Dec. 8 meeting, citing concerns that the development lacked parking capacity and worries about event guests bringing alcohol. The vote prompted comments about how the ongoing unified development code, or UDC, rewrite would impact future permit requests. The details The conditional use permit, or CUP, was requested by Harry Gendel Architects, which sought to build a funeral home near the intersec- tion of Hughes Road and Cullen Parkway. A CUP is required for private, for-profit businesses within a mixed use zoning district,

according to city documents. The background

N

By the numbers

The Planning and Zoning Commission unan- imously recommended approving the zoning change at its Nov. 17 meeting, according to city documents. After the P&Z meeting, the city received 17 written comments from residents opposing the development, city staff said. What they’re saying Council member Clint Byron said he hoped the upcoming UDC rewrite would simplify the process for businesses seeking permits in the city’s various zoning designations. For example, the applicant had to state the property as a recreation center, rather than a funeral home.

Pearland is currently rewriting its unified development code, or UDC, to better align with Pearland 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

$129,301 of the general fund will support the ongoing UDC rewrite 2006 was when the UDC was last updated

September 2024 was when the city approved the comprehensive plan

5 chapters are in the current UDC

SOURCE: CITY OF PEARLAND/COMMUNITY IMPACT

“This is the kind of stuff I hope we can address in the UDC to ensure that things like this can get done without such an involved process for the property owners,” Byron said at the meeting.

8

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

Powered by