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Commissioners press for enforcement of Hoke property code violations after failed rezoning requests
Summary
Board members directed staff and the county attorney to move forward on notices of violation and legal steps concerning a property with industrial storage on agricultural land after two denied rezoning attempts.
Montezuma County commissioners on Oct. 21 returned to a long-running code-enforcement concern involving a property (referred to in meeting as the Hoke property on Bridal) where a landowner reportedly moved industrial storage onto agricultural land after subdivision and rezoning requests were denied.
A commissioner summarized past land-use actions: "We discussed that last summer. He had his 3 acre parcels, owned heavy industrial. He had all of his business and stuff stored there, and then he decided to move it onto the ag land and sell the property out from under himself. Went through PNZ twice to subdivide and get rezoned for more heavy industrial, and it was denied twice. And he still has all his junk out there."
The board discussed next steps for enforcement. One commissioner urged the county attorney to initiate formal notices and move the matter forward now that the county has full legal staff, saying, "Steven, get on it, get the letter sent out, and let's get this thing moving forward." Another commissioner noted that county staff and Don have a template notice of violation and that Don typically sends those letters.
The board reached consensus to compile a top-three priority list of properties for enforcement, deliver that list to the county attorney (referred to as Steven in the meeting), and proceed with notice letters. No formal vote was recorded; the transcript shows the board treating this as a high-priority direction to staff and legal counsel.
Why it matters: The discussion affects land-use compliance, potential enforcement action against property owners, and the county's effort to clear industrial debris in rural/agricultural zones. Commissioners also discussed support measures such as waived landfill fees for residents doing cleanup, though the Hoke property was described as industrial cleanup rather than typical household debris.
The matter will proceed administratively with staff preparing notices of violation and the county attorney sending legal correspondence to the property owner.
