Plan Commission approves pet aftercare and cremation facility at 3614 Security Street with conditions

The Garland Plan Commission on July 13 approved a special‑use permit (SUP) for a pet aftercare and cremation facility at 3614 Security Street, after staff and applicant representatives described the proposed adaptive reuse and answered commissioners' questions. Commissioner Bob Duckworth moved approval per staff recommendations; Commissioner Jared Jones seconded and the motion was announced as passed.

Planning staff advised the commission the site is about 0.80 acres in Council District 6 and is currently developed with a vacant industrial building. Staff recommended a 10‑year SUP limited to pet aftercare and cremation activities that must be conducted entirely inside the existing building. Conditions listed in the staff report require relocation of the refuse container behind the building, installation and maintenance of nine potted plants along Security Street, consistent rooftop equipment screening, and hours of operation limited to Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The staff presentation noted the site currently has 20 parking spaces while the GDC requires 55 for a traditional funeral/mortuary use; staff and the applicant said the proposed use is not a customer‑facing mortuary and the applicant will pursue alternative compliance on parking.

Keaton Mai, the applicant’s representative from the Dimension Group, said Gateway Services would operate primarily as a business‑to‑business provider to veterinarians rather than a public funeral home. “The majority of the business is business to business…so there won't be major public visitations in general,” he said. Misty Search, representing Gateway Services, told the commission Gateway operates about 150 locations in North America and that “odor has never been a concern, and we do scrub the buildings entirely when we vacate.” Michael Dunning, Gateway’s operations manager, said the company uses pet‑specific cremation units and emphasized most work involves cats and dogs; he said larger animals would be rare.

Commissioners pressed the applicant on parking geometry and aisle widths and on whether the SUP language clearly prevents conversion to a public mortuary if the tenant leaves. Staff said the SUP includes a condition restricting the use to pet aftercare so the site cannot convert to a general public mortuary. The commission recorded the vote as passing; the transcript shows the voting results as “8 yes, 0 no, 1 abstain.” The applicant was instructed to return with any required alternative compliance documentation and a parking study as part of the administrative review process.