The Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted 2-1 on Oct. 21 to approve an appeal by Mario and Angela Robles and grant a special-use authorization to allow guest lodging and events on the southern portion of a property north of Benson.

The Robles sought permission to operate up to 15 guest lodging units and event facilities on roughly 40 acres within a larger property they described as about 108 acres. The Planning and Zoning Commission denied the special-use request by a 5-2 vote, citing neighborhood opposition and inconsistency with the Tres Alamos area plan. The board’s reversal followed a nearly three-hour public hearing with more than a dozen residents and property owners testifying for and against the proposal.

In their appeal statement, Angela Robles said the project is intended to “strengthen every corner of Cochise County” by keeping revenue local and creating jobs without changing the property’s rural character. “This permit gives us the ability to share that heritage with others in a way the county can truly be proud of,” she said.

Opponents argued the proposal is out of scale for the neighborhood, raised safety concerns about seasonal washes and emergency response times, and questioned water use and noise. Resident Robert Bray urged supervisors not to overrule the commission, saying commissioners had “studied all aspects” of the proposal and that the board should “vote no on this proposal.” Garrett Roberts, whose parcel adjoins the project site, said the application contained inconsistent information about acreage and questioned the water, noise and evaporation calculations submitted by the applicants. Paul Walker, another nearby resident, told the board he had watched the commission hearing and found the commission’s deliberations “fair and thorough.”

Planning staff recommended conditional approval of the special-use request and documented that the application met submittal requirements, that notices were mailed and posted as required, and that staff had received 3 written responses in favor and 8 in opposition from property owners within the notification area (plus three additional oppositions from outside the notification area). Staff also described recently enacted zoning-regulation language that allows the board the option to remand an item back to the commission to consider new information.

Supervisor John (Jack) Antonori, who chaired the meeting, framed the appeal as part of the appeals process available to applicants when they believe a commission decision was “erroneous, arbitrary or capricious.” Supervisor Sam Crosby, who made the final motion to approve the appeal, said he weighed empirical noise attenuation calculations and other technical material presented by the applicants and found conditions and mitigation measures acceptable. “If reasonable accommodations are made to consider property values and quality of life of neighboring properties, I support entrepreneurs who invest here,” Crosby said.

Several residents pressed for a remand to the Planning and Zoning Commission to allow further neighborhood discussion; Supervisor Antonori and Supervisor Kathleen Gomez both said they had considered remanding as an option during deliberations. After amendment and votes on motions, the board approved the appeal and thereby granted the special-use authorization for the southern parcels. The vote to approve was 2-1; Supervisor Gomez voted against reversing the commission.

Staff and the applicants said any expansion of lodging beyond the authorized southern 40 acres would require a separate special-use application or modification. Planning staff told the board that if the lodging component were later proposed for the northern 68 acres, a new special-use application would likely be required.

The board did not adopt new additional conditions beyond those in the staff memo during the final motion. The decision includes the original conditions of approval staff provided at the time of its recommendation; staff said they would incorporate conditions tied to the lodging count, hours for amplified outdoor activities, and site-specific mitigation measures for sound and lighting.

The decision will allow the Robles to proceed under the special-use authorization, subject to the county’s permitting and inspection processes.