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Board refers home‑based Cornucopia winery liquor license to state after neighbors object
Summary
Maricopa County supervisors recommended the new Series 13 farm winery license for Cornucopia Winery be forwarded to the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control after neighbors complained about production and traffic in a residential area; applicant said he intends only to store and distribute and that onsite sales would require a zoning change.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted Nov. 19 to refer a Series 13 farm winery liquor license application for Cornucopia Winery to the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control after residents in the Shannon Street neighborhood raised concerns about residential character, proximity to schools and bus stops, and the potential for customers and delivery trucks.
Multiple residents told the board they live within yards of the applicant’s property and said the neighborhood is strictly residential; speakers said the application in the packet appeared to permit winemaking, blending and delivery and they feared that commercial activity, trucks and customer traffic would be incompatible with adjacent homes and nearby schools.
Applicant Brock Severson, who said he lives at 13817 East Shannon Street and operates Cornucopia Wines LLC, told the board he will use a custom crush agreement with a licensed winery in Cornville, Arizona, to produce and bottle the wine; he said the license would allow him only to warehouse the product at his home and to distribute to local restaurants and retail establishments. Severson emphasized his parcel is zoned Rural‑43 and that onsite retail or events would be prohibited by current zoning and would require a separate zoning change.
Supervisor Stewart moved to forward the county recommendation to the state liquor board to approve the license; Supervisor Lesko and other board members noted zoning restrictions and requested that the state process be informed by that context. The motion passed unanimously.
The board’s action is a county recommendation to the state; final licensing authority rests with the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control.
