Monroe County Commissioners approved by a 4-1 vote on Tuesday, Aug. 4 to allow Loganville-based Providence Real Estate Consulting, LLC to erect an AT&T cell tower on a 91.25-acre tract at 881 Hill Road.
Providence representative Leslie Carroll asked Commissioners for a conditional use in agricultural zoning as well as a variance to allow the cell tower to be located about 33 feet closer to the property line than the required 300-foot minimum. Carroll said the tower will be 250 feet tall, self-supported with three legs. It will be fenced in, lighted and will be a joint use tower that can accommodate up to four additional wireless carriers. It will also have a vegetative buffer surrounding its base.
Phil and Benson Ham are the owners of the property. Commission Chairman Greg Tapley read aloud a letter from Phil Ham, who did not attend the hearing due to a recent illness, urging the board to approve the zoning request. Ham’s letter stated that enhanced cell service is needed in the area and said his rights as a tax-paying land owner allow him to lease his land for the tower.
The Monroe County Planning & Zoning Board previously approved the request by a 4-0 vote at a July 27 meeting, but Commissioners had the final say on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, several neighbors objected to Carroll’s request.
Jeff Thompson of 190 Walden Road said he’s not opposed to the cell tower being erected but said there are alternate locations on the Hams’ property that would be less intrusive to surrounding neighbors.
Thompson said, “Right now, folks, you may as well put Christmas lights on that thing. It is an eyesore for anybody in that area.”
Hugh Rader, whose family owns a neighboring tract at 1190 Hill Road, urged Commissioners to postpone making a decision until an alternative location on the Hams’ property can be identified.
Two other neighbors, Beth Youmans of 520 Walden Road and Tamara Banks of 200 Walden Road, also spoke in opposition to the proposed cell tower. Youmans requested a tree-style tower be erected rather than a traditional metal one while Banks said she wants to ensure that the vegetative buffer is properly cared for.
District 3 Commissioner John Ambrose asked Carroll if she could find an alternative location on the Hams’ property to erect the tower. Carroll said the proposed location was actually her third choice and was deemed to be the least intrusive. Phil Ham’s wife, Dana Ham, who attended the meeting, said they settled on the final spot because it would enhance cell service to the south of the tower.
Carroll said, “There is no place we could put it that everybody around there would be happy with it.”
But Ambrose again urged Carroll to go back to AT&T and see if it could choose a different location on the property. After Carroll declined, Ambrose motioned to deny the zoning request, but the motion failed for lack of a second.
District 1 Commissioner Larry Evans then motioned to approve the zoning request, which was seconded by District 4 Commissioner George Emami.
District 2 Commissioner Eddie Rowland, in whose district the proposed tower will be built, said he was going to have to “be the bad guy.” Rowland told a personal story that explained why he feels better cell service is needed on Hill Road. Rowland said he was driving on Hill Road about three months ago when he received a phone call from his brother telling him that their father had died. Rowland said he lost cell service just as his brother was delivering the bad news, and he had to drive to a spot with better cell service to finish the conversation.
Rowland added that he doesn’t believe the cell tower violates standards of fair use of the Hams’ property and said he doesn’t think the cell tower will hurt nearby property values.
After about 35 minutes of discussion, Commissioners then approved the measure by a 4-1 vote with Ambrose the lone dissenter.
In other Board of Commissioners’ news:
— Monroe County Commissioners unanimously approved on Tuesday, Aug. 4 to allow Loganville-based Providence Real Estate Consulting, LLC to erect an AT&T cell tower on a 46-acre tract at 90 Old Stopper Road.
Providence representative Leslie Carroll asked Commissioners for a conditional use in agricultural zoning. Carroll said the tower will be 250 feet tall, self-supported with three legs. It will be fenced in, lighted and will be a joint use tower that can accommodate up to four additional wireless carriers. It will also have a vegetative buffer surrounding its base.
Richard Lovett is the owner of the property.
The Monroe County Planning & Zoning Board previously approved the request by a 4-0 vote at a July 27 meeting, but Commissioners had the final say on Tuesday.
No one was opposed to the request.
— Monroe County Commissioners unanimously approved on Tuesday, Aug. 4 to allow New York City-based Tillman Infrastructure, LLC to re-zone a 40.34-acre tract at 8469 Estes Road from residential to agricultural zoning for the purpose of erecting an AT&T cell tower.
Tillman representative Ryan Ivey also asked Commissioners for a conditional use in agricultural zoning as well as a variance to allow the cell tower to be located about 50 feet closer to the property line than the required 300-foot minimum. Ivey said the tower will be 250 feet tall, self-supported with three legs. It will be fenced in, lighted and will be a joint use tower that can accommodate up to four additional wireless carriers. Ivey was not present at Tuesday’s meeting, but Mark Loubier of Huntersville, N.C. -based LCS Wireless, Inc. and attorney Steven Jones of Atlanta-based Bovis, Kyle, Burch & Medlin, LLC represented the applicant.
Jeff and Donna Hopkins are the owners of the property.
The Monroe County Planning & Zoning Board previously approved the request by a 4-0 vote at a July 27 meeting, but Commissioners had the final say on Tuesday.
No one was opposed to the request. Caleb and Laura Harvard of 8335 Estes Road asked if their neighboring property would be used as a driveway to access the tower. When they were told that it wouldn’t, they said they had no objection to the tower.
After about 12 minutes of discussion, Commissioners approved the re-zoning request by a 5-0 vote with the conditions that an existing easement on the southern end of the tract not be used to access the tower and that only one tower be allowed on the property.
