In a split vote, Pearland City Council on Monday rejected a permit that would have allowed an events facility to be built at Paradise Cemetery South near Hughes Ranch Road and Cullen Parkway.
Voting against the permit were council members Tony Carbone, Mona Chavarria, Rushi Patel and Joseph Koza, who had concerns about parking and traffic.
“I just don’t think you have enough parking,” Patel said. “The big concern for the residents is traffic count.”
In favor were council members Layni Cade, Rick Fernandez and Clint Byrom.
Plans called for the building at 2237 Cullen Parkway to be a place to hold services prior to burial.
“It is not a funeral home; it is a celebration of life center,” said Reid Wilson of Wilson, Cribbs and Goren, representing the applicant. “Paradise South has been in the area a very, very long time.”
Established in 1952, the cemetery predates its annexation into the city.
