[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6318782,"mediaKeyId","2364622-3046b04df677978036b3eba0cef71459","parentId",2364622,"title","Planning and Zoning panel recommends 286-foot Carlton cell tower over residents' objections","audioSeconds",2168,"startMs",485000,"endMs",2653000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2364622-3046b04df677978036b3eba0cef71459&start=485&end=2653","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2364622-3046b04df677978036b3eba0cef71459/thumbnail_485000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6318782/Madison-County/Georgia/Planning-and-Zoning-panel-recommends-286-foot-Carlton-cell-tower-over-residents-objections","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6318782-e403a7a19f0f1b60afe1c5018760bab6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199483&Signature=FcUFQJUNzXhGQw3F8WuP2PaiBGr5b1cx-4aPQAo-wmSYAF0MYiDxRThedWT96T5YcNOz3xZAmXywCRrDQnnAP3DJbwYTQMJPIKHEd7uR59W~6HjgpuLLD0fFcmWDRltCvBSWqQUW5McUE2tFbDKldjYG4Ro5qDqYPBGFqz6CqosHUap6zmJN~FlrSnKJQg8I2E04z80l17Y3JfFp0IENAhWGsCHUxkWNrZA4ahNycxlylil3QwCixi83KFOmvCc~YxBDSWG7qgj55w1-23BekPAZAO~tp8dT4YWtAJx0iD9P4USvXg83rKG~OnYHLv4MsSjAQPbR0YH2zdxogMKaXQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-19T14:04:24Z","article","Madison County Planning and Zoning Commission members voted to recommend approval of a conditional-use permit for a 286-foot telecommunications tower on a wooded 11-acre parcel at 0 West Street in Carlton, sending the application to the Board of Commissioners for final action on March 3.

The proposed tower, to be built and owned by Vertical Bridge and sited to carry T‑Mobile antennas initially, is intended to fill a coverage gap in the county’s southeast corner, the applicant said. Neighbors objected at a public hearing, citing health concerns, possible drops in property values and visual impact.

Commissioners approved the recommendation after a public hearing and applicant presentation. The applicant, Andy Rotenstryke, told the commission, “I am here on behalf of a company called Vertical Bridge.” Rotenstryke said the company plans a self-supporting, three-legged design and that the 100‑by‑100‑foot fenced compound will house ground equipment. He said the parcel is heavily wooded to reduce ground-level visibility and that the firm had identified no existing tower within roughly 3 miles that could accommodate T‑Mobile service.

Rotenstryke described the proposal’s technical and safety details: the company is seeking a 286‑foot self‑support tower, will lease a 100‑by‑100‑foot compound inside the 11‑acre parcel, and plans a 30‑foot access easement with a narrower running drive for maintenance trucks. He said the tower is engineered to collapse into its compound in the unlikely event of structural failure and that the structure is designed to accept additional carriers (so-called colocation) to avoid building more towers.

At the public hearing, several nearby residents urged denial. Sabra Bridges, who said she lives “just across the woods from West Street,” told commissioners she and her family do not want the tower on land they said was promised to stay in the family. She added that her husband has a pacemaker and said, “My husband has a pacemaker due defibrillator. We’re concerned with the harm from the tower on his heart condition.” Another resident, Theresa, who said she recently bought the 11‑acre parcel to build a homestead, said the tower “is taller than most of the other towers that I’ve seen” and that its height would make future resale difficult for neighbors.

Carlton City Council member Mark Staley, speaking as a resident, said he found the tower’s scale excessive for the rural area: “To me, it’s nonsense to have such a humongous tower,” he said, noting the community’s wooded character and proximity to a state park.

In rebuttal, Rotenstryke said Vertical Bridge used the FCC tower registration database in its siting analysis and that carriers prefer to colocate where possible. He offered studies and an engineer’s letter stating the design constraints and the company’s analyses of property‑value impacts. Rotenstryke also noted standard lease terms are often a 10‑year initial term with multiple five‑year extensions.

Chair Scott read meeting procedure at the outset and reminded attendees that this was the commission’s first of two required public hearings on the proposal; the Board of Commissioners will hold a second hearing March 3 at 6 p.m. in the same room and will have the final decision. The commission voted to recommend approval and advised opponents to appear at the commissioners’ hearing to present their objections.

The record before the commission included an application packet with site plans, coverage maps showing how the proposed site would fill a service gap, an engineer certification letter, and the county staff review. The applicant asserted the proposal meets the county’s rules for telecommunications conditional uses; opponents questioned the necessity and scale and raised health and property‑value concerns.

The commission’s recommendation now goes to the Madison County Board of Commissioners for a final vote on March 3. The commission’s action was a recommendation only; the Board of Commissioners will make the final determination on the conditional use.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2/18/2025 Madison County Planning and Zoning PH","oneSentenceSummary","Madison County Planning and Zoning Commission members voted to recommend approval of a conditional-use permit for a 286-foot telecommunications tower on a wooded 11-acre parcel at 0 West Street in Carlton, sending the application to the Board of Commissioners for final action on March 3.","taxTitle","Madison County, Georgia","taxId",28540,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6318777,"Votes at a glance: Planning & Zoning Commission recommends or denies multiple rezoning and lot‑split requests",2831,2682000,5513000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2364622-3046b04df677978036b3eba0cef71459&start=2682&end=5513","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2364622-3046b04df677978036b3eba0cef71459/thumbnail_2682000.jpg","/articles/6318777/Madison-County/Georgia/Votes-at-a-glance-Planning-Zoning-Commission-recommends-or-denies-multiple-rezoning-and-lotsplit-requests","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6318777-44a1e7359bf00420fa0caa82533b71ea/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199483&Signature=HISXjGJyx4i~0qRfUB98zBSBzQbZ5rh5S~fMHEir557MHiGm76djjXb3vB~EXV7AVpbjIhvrxYG3B8KL69OYQUFC7ndT3-ifaYhPtqM5yptMdJ5L5lKexqs7qd9M-9043xT7HumCaYyLQgOtu3V-xkHRZLYM6YP~Sse0gvodz59~1i~f5vWI0cxZ4LwycNYvRp2mNpB0f1l1M3EcwkZ3O7Rw8n5kb8mgi5NZJGBC4pctxK3C7QCHY5eUp4xtQ7jo~xpcxvW-uGRLKqbn2TO7WYjNiL61dACeTOFkD7tFX95s00TX4-xAhqVc0bcpop1Mep4QCbgsbSMA1vuMQHw9PA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Madison County Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed a series of rezoning and lot‑split requests and issued recommendations to the Board of Commissioners. Most requests were recommended for approval; one rezone request in the Vineyards Creek area was recommended for denial by the commission and will go to the Board of Commissioners for final action at the March public hearing.

Votes and key details

- Item 2 (Bobby Lee Applin / Kendra McKinney): Request to reconfirm and split approximately 10.35 acres (A2 to R2 for two roughly 5‑acre tracts) at 0 Highway 72 East in Comer (Map 96). Commission recommendation: approve; vote: 5–0. Applicant: Kendra McKinney.

- Item 3 (Gregory Meadows / Lee Tupper): Request to rezone a 5‑acre portion of a 50‑acre parcel (A1 to R2 to allow a split and retain the existing home) at 2620 Albert Danielsville Road. Commission recommendation: approve; vote: 5–0. Applicant: Lee Tupper (for Gregory Meadows).

- Item 4 (Ronald St. Clair): Request to rezone 3.41 acres from A2 to R1 to split into two equal tracts (0 Highway 106 Town in Hull). Commission recommendation: approve; vote: 5–0. Applicant: Ronald St. Clair.

- Item 5 (Jerry Russell, 0 Vineyards Creek Church Road): Request to rezone 6.52 acres from A2 to R1 to split into three tracts for resale. The commission received multiple letters and in‑person opposition from the local Vineyards Creek community citing comprehensive‑plan compatibility, well impacts and erosion. The commission voted to deny the request and recommended denial to the Board of Commissioners. Applicant: Jody (Jody) Russell. Outcome: recommended denial (motion carried at the commission level); opponents were urged to appear at the March commissioners’ hearing.

- Item 6 & 7 (Gary and Stephanie Harvin; Jonathan House matters): A set of related property adjustments and minor rezones to consolidate or reclassify small acreage around Highway 172 in Comer. The commission considered two linked items as a group and recommended approval (vote recorded as 4–0 with one abstention on one of the paired items). Applicants: Gary and Stephanie Harvin (and applicant acting for Jonathan House on the related parcel).

- Item 8 (Bert Rodriguez / Freddie Acevedo): Request to rezone 5 acres from A6 to R1 to split into three roughly 1.66‑acre tracts at 1822 Shoal Creek Road, Colbert. Commission recommendation: approve; vote: 5–0. Applicants: Bert Rodriguez and Freddie Acevedo.

- Item 9 (Ruben Borza): Request to rezone 12 acres of an 83.8‑acre parcel (0 Highway 98 West, Danielsville) to allow three 4‑acre tracts while leaving the remainder in A1. The commission approved and recommended the request; opponents raised concerns about incremental splitting and long‑term subdivision precedent. Commission recommendation: approve; vote recorded as a recommendation to commissioners.

- Item 10 (Victor Johnston / Miller family property): Request to rezone 1.6 acres to R1 to split a rental house from a 77.03‑acre family tract in order to maintain conservation‑use (current‑use) eligibility on the remaining acreage. Commission recommendation: approve; vote: 5–0. Applicant counsel: attorney Baker Johnson representing the Miller family heirs.

- Item 12 (Joseph and Mary Thompson estate / Debbie Wood): Request to rezone a 4‑acre portion of a 53.54‑acre parcel from A1 to AR for inheritance/parcel‑split purposes at 715 Hudson Rivers Church Road, Danielsville. Commission recommendation: approve; vote: 5–0.

- Item 13 (Angel Hart / Dewing Hart): Request to rezone ~8.538 acres from A1 to AR to permit a split into two ~4.26‑acre tracts (2587 Moon’s Grove Church Road, Calvert). Applicant changed the request from AR/R1 to AR after earlier discussions; the commission recommended approval. Vote: 5–0.

What the recommendations mean

The Planning and Zoning Commission is a recommending body; the Board of Commissioners will consider the commission’s recommendations and hold a second public hearing on March 3. Members of the public who testified were told to appear before the Board of Commissioners if they wished to repeat or expand their comments — the commission does not have authority to enact rezones.

How the commission decided

Most approvals appeared to rest on staff reports that the requested splits met current zoning rules (or could be made consistent with minor adjustments), the applicants’ stated plans (single homes or family retention versus higher‑density subdivision), and the county’s existing comprehensive plan character areas. Where sustained neighborhood opposition raised concerns about comprehensive‑plan consistency, wells/drainage, or precedent for incremental subdivision (the Vineyards Creek item), the commission voted to deny.

Next steps

All items the commission recommended for approval will be on the Board of Commissioners agenda for final decisions (public hearing March 3). Members of the public who opposed or supported applications were repeatedly invited to appear before commissioners to present testimony and evidence.

","At a regularly scheduled Madison County Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, members considered a series of rezoning and lot‑split requests (items 2–13). The commission recommended approval for most applications, denied one request and postponed no items; several votes were unanimous.","actionData","errors"]

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Planning and Zoning panel recommends 286-foot Carlton cell tower over residents' objections

Votes at a glance: Planning & Zoning Commission recommends or denies multiple rezoning and lot‑split requests