Coconino hearing officer takes Church of Common Good zoning case under advisement after contested testimony

A Coconino County hearing officer said July 10 he will take under advisement a zoning-violation case alleging unpermitted recreational vehicles, improvised structures and scattered secondhand materials at a rural parcel near Winslow owned by the Church of Common Good.

The case concerns parcel ID 40685018 at 47775 BNSF Railroad Frontage Road in Winslow, Arizona, a 56.6-acre property the county said is zoned G (General Residential). County code enforcement testified it documented repeated RV occupancy, abandoned or inoperable vehicles, piles of tires and other secondhand materials across inspections beginning in 2024; the hearing officer will issue a written decision after taking the matter under advisement.

County code enforcement officer Mark Stento told the hearing that county records and exhibits show the parcel was used for ongoing RV occupancy and open storage and that the sheriff's office reported people living on the site. "The property is currently owned by the Church of Common Good domestic nonprofit corporation," Stento said, citing an Arizona Corporation Commission listing and county GIS records introduced as exhibits. He testified the county sent notices by certified mail to the church's statutory agent that were returned unclaimed on June 23, 2025, and that Code Enforcement Officer John Cole personally served a notice to appear and related documents on the respondent, Andrew Stevens, during a site contact on June 5, 2025 (exhibit 11, partial body-cam transcript), the county said.

Stento described…