Lede: The Dallas City Council on Oct. 8 approved an amendment to Planned Development No. 942 authorizing a freestanding communications tower at an Encore substation site near the Southaven neighborhood; dozens of residents testified against the location, citing safety, setbacks and visual impact.

Nut Graf: Residents who live adjacent to the Encore property pressed council to require a greater setback (residents referenced 3:1 distance-to-height formulas used by nearby Irving, Denton and Grand Prairie) and additional screening; Encore representatives said the new tower is needed to support grid-monitoring communications and to improve reliability and that existing equipment has operated at the site since the 1980s.

What council approved: The zoning consent package (z1–z3) included the PD 942 amendment. Council adopted the zoning consent items by voice vote after public comment; one council member recorded a recorded “nay” on the general consent vote but the zoning consent passed. The Oct. 8 approval was a land-use decision; no code change to statewide regulation occurred during the meeting.

Residents’ concerns: More than 30 registered speakers — and additional written responses — told council the proposed tower would be too close to houses and a children’s park. Common themes in public comment included:
• Setback worries: multiple speakers cited a 3:1 distance-to-height standard (a 200-foot structure should be ~600 feet from homes) and asked the council to require a larger buffer.
• Collapse, storm and lightning risk: residents referenced tower collapses elsewhere, wind and lightning risks, and that falling infrastructure could strike transmission lines or backyards.
• Health and aesthetics: some speakers urged the city to consider health and RF exposure concerns (speakers cited international research and urged modernization of FCC standards); many also asked for visual screening and tree buffers.

Encore’s position and technical details: Encore’s representatives said the tower is a communications structure for grid monitoring and is not a commercial cell tower. Andrea Sanders, Encore’s director of Dallas customer service, told council: “This equipment is safe. Where it is, it is operated safely since 2016. And we are confident that it will continue to operate safely when it is relocated.” Attorney/consultant Jennifer Hiramoto and other Encore staff described the site as long-standing utility property and said the water tower will be removed as part of substation upgrades; they said the proposed freestanding tower must be sited where microwave paths, power-line clearance and other engineering constraints allow.

Alternatives and developer responses: Developers and Encore said they evaluated locations across the 80-acre utility property and that some areas were precluded by transmission lines or by the substation footprint. Developer/advocates asked residents and council to allow staff and Encore to pursue additional screening and landscaping; Encore committed to meet with residents to explore tree planting and other mitigation.

Process and legal constraints: City staff reminded council that federal law (Telecommunications Act and related FCC guidance) constrains what local governments may consider in regulating wireless facilities; land-use choices are permitted, but decisions may not be based on RF-health effects, and the legal regime prioritizes certain procedural rules for processing wireless applications.

Ending: Residents asked for larger setbacks and additional mitigation; Encore pledged follow-up meetings on screening and beautification. Council approved the PD amendment on the zoning consent calendar; staff and Encore said they will continue neighborhood outreach on landscape screening and other mitigations.

Attribution and caution: The article reflects comments made at the Oct. 8 council meeting. Residents’ claims about health and property-value impacts were presented to council as opinions and requests for mitigation; the article does not assert health outcomes beyond what commenters stated.