UPDATE (11:23 a.m., Sept. 26):
Owners of the Ramsey Canyon Inn will no longer be able to hold on-site weddings, parties and corporate gatherings, after the Cochise County Superior Court issued an injunction prohibiting them.
According to a news release from the Cochise County Attorney's Office, the ruling "protects the peaceful character of the Ramsey Canyon community by halting commercial event operations that had created unsafe conditions and disrupted the quiet enjoyment of the area."
The court found that the defendants had expanded "far beyond the scope of their special use permit."
The events that they were holding, brought excessive noise, traffic congestion, parking hazards and a heightened risk of wildfire to the canyon, the news release said.
Under the court's order, the property is restricted to operating as an eight-room bed and breakfast only. "Large commercial events, outside vendors and marketing the property for purposes other than its permitted use are strictly prohibited," the news release said.
“This decision is a win for the citizens who call Ramsey Canyon home,” Cochise County Attorney Lori Zucco said in the news release. “Ramsey Canyon is one of Cochise County’s most treasured areas—a place of peace, natural beauty, and community. The Court recognized that large-scale, commercial events threatened that tranquility and endangered the residents. Our office will always stand with our communities to ensure safety and preserve the unique character of special places like Ramsey Canyon.”
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Neighbors in Ramsey Canyon are butting heads, which has led to a lawsuit. Cochise County is suing the owners of the Ramsey Canyon Inn, alleging violations of its special usage permit.
On Tuesday, Cochise County attorneys met with the Board of Supervisors to discuss this case in an executive session. County attorneys say that multiple complaints from neighbors have shown they are violating the permit.
“They make a lot of noise," said Bob Singler, a neighbor of the Ramsey Canyon Inn. "The speakers are outside, facing down the canyon. As you see, we live in a canyon, so the noise amplifies. I cannot sit where we are in front of my house when there's an event going on.”
Singler lives down the canyon from Ramsey Canyon Inn. He says he and other neighbors filed complaints with the sheriff’s office and the county. His biggest complaint, the loud music and announcements coming from weddings and other events held at the inn.
"It's been over two years of hell,” Singler said.
Ramsey Canyon Inn owner Scott Kepner says the complaints started at the end of 2023, two years after he purchased the property. He says the Cochise County Sheriff's Office didn’t cite them on their multiple visits out to the canyon for noise complaints. Kepner says parking complaints were addressed when the county put no parking signs up along the road.
“I didn't create a wedding venue. I bought a bed and breakfast that has historically hosted weddings for a very long time,” he said. “It is impossible to operate and conduct business in the current environment that we're in. Most people believe that we're already closed or that we've already been shut down, which is unequivocally untrue. Most of our wedding clientele fear that we will be shut down.”
Singler, who has lived in the canyon for 7 years, says he didn't know weddings took place at the bed and breakfast because he couldn't hear them, which is the problem he has. According to the lawsuit, the original permit — issued in 1992— excluded large events unless separately approved.
Kepner says the only notice he received of violations was in March 2024, when he was sent a code violation letter from the county. The letter says Kepner could appeal the violations and have a hearing. A hearing was scheduled for November 2024, but it didn't happen because the man who was supposed to hear the case died. The hearing was never rescheduled for the code violations. Kepner tells KGUN, he was told that it was dismissed earlier this year. Cochise County then filed its lawsuit in April.
“A very small civil matter amongst a couple of neighbors, and it's blown into just this insane set of circumstances, and we stayed silent because we thought we were going to be given our due process,” Kepner said.
His response, file a notice of claim against the county for $18.5 million.
"That came from the several weeks following the county filing their lawsuit, we suffered immense damages," Kepner said."Immediately, we had almost 100% cancellation rate of future reservations.”
He says he learned about the lawsuit from customers and from seeing the county's press release on social media. Something he's considering as defamation for his business. Most of the money he's asking for in the notice of claim will cover the business's financial losses and damages.
"Basically, they have taken what was a thriving and beautiful business and destroyed it,” Kepner said.
KGUN reached out to Cochise County civil attorney Paul Correa, but he declined an interview. Singler says the residents are fighting to protect the canyon.
“We want our peace and quiet and ambiance like it's so it's been, when it comes down to it, it's all about the canyon," he said. "We're visitors here. This canyon will still hopefully be pristine 300 years from now.”
Kepner tells KGUN there's a hearing on his motion to dismiss the case next week.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
