Planning commissioners recommend rezoning 108 West Park Street to allow wireless tower

The Brandon Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-0 to recommend that city council approve rezoning of 108 West Park Street so Elevated Towers can seek a conditional use permit to build a wireless telecommunications tower.

The recommendation came after a presentation from Craig Snyder of Elevated Towers and public comment from neighborhood residents and parents who said the parcel is too close to homes and nearby schools.

Commissioners moved to recommend approval of rezoning from the property’s current NRC classification to GB, a change that would allow a telecommunications tower as a conditional use. The commission’s unanimous vote followed more than an hour of discussion about coverage gaps on Brandon’s south side, alternative sites the company says it examined, and concerns about radio-frequency (RF) exposure near school property.

Craig Snyder, a representative of Elevated Towers, told the commission the company had evaluated multiple sites across the city and concluded the Alliance-owned parcel at 108 West Park best meets technical, setback and fiber-connectivity needs. He said the city’s existing towers — one on the north side and a Verizon antenna on a water tower near the high school — do not provide adequate redundancy or capacity for growing…