Hearing officer takes zoning case against Church of Common Good under advisement after dispute over RVs and religious use

The Coconino County hearing officer took under advisement an administrative zoning-violation case against the Church of Common Good on July 10, 2025, following a contested hearing in Winslow, Arizona, over alleged long-term recreational-vehicle occupancy and unpermitted structures at 47775 BNSF Railroad Frontage Road.

The county’s code enforcement division said inspections from 2024 through June 2025 documented multiple recreational vehicles, travel trailers, unpermitted structures, piles of secondhand materials and tires, and what the county described as likely ongoing occupancy. “The church’s use appears to be for what the county would describe as a recreational vehicle resort,” said Mark Stento, Code Enforcement Officer for Coconino County, in closing remarks during the hearing.

The Church of Common Good, represented at the hearing by Pastor Andrew “AJ” Stevens, disputed the county’s account and said the property is used as a transient spiritual retreat and for limited agricultural activity such as a chicken coop and food pantry storage. Stevens told the hearing officer, “we intend to fight this with the religious land land use and institutionalized persons act,” citing protections for religious uses.

Why this matters: the dispute turns on land use classification and whether the county’s zoning regulations limit the church’s described religious activity on a parcel the county classifies as G (General) residential. The county contends the…