Escalating tensions in a local zoning dispute, the Cochise County Attorney's Office filed an amended complaint against the operators of Ramsey Canyon Inn on Monday, seeking to halt a series of unpermitted activities at the Hereford property located at 3271 E. Desert Storm, official sources reported. The new allegations maintain that the landowners have been hosting weddings, using the site for overflow parking, and allowing staff to reside at the premises without the necessary permits, in direct defiance of local land use regulations.
The county authorities have also corrected an earlier allegation regarding acreage requirements; having initially misstated that the property needed to be a minimum of 6.005 acres, documents from 2015 and 2021 dictate a 4.00-acre minimum for compliance, but even by this standard, the Inn's property spans only 1.95 acres. Despite this discrepancy and a directive from the county in 2021 instructing owner Kepner to address the shortfall through deed restrictions on nearby parcels, saying, "the deeds remain unchanged with no deed restrictions, and the properties remain in non-conforming status," a revelation that casts a long shadow over the inn's operations and represents a stubborn refusal to adhere to local governance.
The amendment also alleges a nearly four-year willful negligence on the part of the defendants to remedy public nuisance violations arising from the zoning law breaches. In response, the county seeks to enforce legal measures to safeguard the rightful interests of the Ramsey Canyon neighborhood and the broader Cochise County community, a responsibility entrusted to the County Attorney's Office, which advocates for land use, code enforcement, and public health matters through civil legal action.
Residents who may be seeking further clarity on the intricacies of Special Use Permits or the ongoing legal proceedings can find additional resources and updates on the Cochise County Planning and Zoning page.
