Queen Creek planning commission approves conditional use permit for D and D Mini Ranch stock-dog trials

The Queen Creek Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional use permit for D and D Mini Ranch to host stock-dog trials and to keep more animals than normally allowed under the town's zoning code. The commission took the vote after a public hearing and presentations by town staff and the applicants.

Eric Swanson, planning staff, told commissioners the request (identified in staff materials as P24-0048) applies to a 4.9-acre property in the Ellsworth Mini Farms community and would allow the property owners to operate up to six stock-dog events annually between November and March, each lasting one to three days. Swanson said the operation prompted a code-enforcement response after a complaint about a large number of animals; planning staff subsequently determined the use required a conditional use permit.

The conditional use permit request seeks two primary exceptions: authorization to hold the stock-dog trial events and permission to exceed the number of animal units allowed under the R1-43 zoning (the town's one-acre residential lot standard). Swanson described the events as daytime only, without amplified sound or lighting, and estimated typical attendance at 30 to 40 people (participants, judges and spectators). He said staff included a condition capping attendance at 60 for events as a buffer for occasional overflow.

Applicants Dan and Diane Sanderson told commissioners they moved to the area in 2020 and operate the D and D Mini Ranch, which breeds Saint Croix sheep and temporarily brings in about 65 to 70 calves for trials. Dan Sanderson said livestock stay on site year-round for the sheep and that the calves used in trials are brought in during the November-to-March season and kept in covered pens at night for safety. He described measures taken to care for animals (concrete cattle pen, automated waterers, separate feeders) and safety rules enforced by the sanctioning organizations (Australian Shepherd Club of America and Mountain State Stockdog Association), including limits on how many times an animal can be run during a day.

Neighbors who spoke at the public hearing were largely supportive and described the operation as clean and community-oriented. Ruben Valenzuela, who said he's lived in the neighborhood for 38 years, and Trevor Forbes, who lives adjacent to D and D Mini Ranch, told commissioners they had not experienced dust, noise or other problems. Staff noted one anonymous opposition letter claiming there were "too many animals" on the property and that an adjacent property owner had expressed concerns about dust at a neighborhood meeting; staff and the applicants described mitigation efforts including applying a soil stabilizer (product noted as "K31") and planting clumping bamboo as a visual and dust barrier.

Commissioners asked about the amount of space used for cattle and the consistency of animal numbers across the season; applicants said the group of livestock typically remains the same after initial acclimation and that the property includes roughly 1.5 to 1.75 acres of usable enclosure plus pasture and covered areas. Staff also showed parking exhibits and said available on-site areas would accommodate expected vehicle counts with room for overflow if necessary.

A motion to approve the conditional use permit passed after the public hearing. The meeting record shows the motion carried; the transcript does not record a roll-call tally in the minutes available and the chair (David Gillette) was temporarily on the phone and later dropped from the call, so a numeric vote count was not specified in the record provided.

The permit includes conditions described in the staff report (attendance limits, daytime-only operations, no amplified sound, and other operational and parking requirements). The commission did not delete the condition that event attendance be limited to a maximum of 60 people; applicants and staff said that higher attendance has not been typical for their events and that the limit is intended as a buffer.

The commission's decision allows the applicants to continue operating under the conditional use permit with the enumerated conditions. If the applicants subsequently exceed the permitted activity or fail to meet conditions, enforcement action could follow as described in the town's code procedures.

Votes at a glance: P24-0048 (D and D Mini Ranch conditional use permit) ' Motion: approve the conditional use permit for stock-dog trials and animal-unit exception (motion text in the record: "approve P25-0048 D and D Mini Ranch trial and livestock"); mover and second: not specified in the publicly available excerpt; outcome: approved (tally not specified).