Planning and Zoning Commission approves special-use permit and height variance for proposed cell tower behind Rock of Faith Church

The Converse Planning and Zoning Commission approved a special-use permit and a variance on April 21 to allow a monopole cellular tower on property owned by Rock of Faith Missionary Baptist Church at 107 School Street.

The commission voted to approve the special-use permit to locate a wireless telecommunications facility on the parcel and separately approved a variance from the B-2 district height limit that will allow the taller monopole requested by the applicant. Assistant City Manager Nina Nixon Mendez told commissioners the site is behind the church and that staff recommended a camouflage aesthetic because the site is near downtown civic uses including city hall, police, municipal court and the public library. "We felt it important to consider an aesthetic element as part of this," Nixon Mendez said.

The permit and variance matter because staff and the applicant said the site would materially improve cellular coverage and reduce capacity strain on a nearby site. The applicant's agent, Vince Heaviger of Vincent Girard and Associates, presented radio-frequency coverage maps showing expanded in-building and street-level coverage with the proposed tower. "This will do that," Heaviger said, describing the change from pockets of poor coverage to broader in-building service and saying nearby sites, including a Crestway site, were operating at capacity.

The applicant and landowner said the site is a lease arrangement: Vertical Bridge would lease ground space from the church and market capacity on the tower to carriers; Verizon is the primary tenant for which the tower is being sited. Pastor Daryl Thomas of Rock of Faith Missionary Baptist Church spoke in support. "We are in partnership with Verizon. We know that it would be a benefit to our community as a whole and personally with our church," Thomas said.

Joint Base San Antonio reviewed the planning application and registered no objection, but staff noted in the record that FAA compliance or other federal clearances may still be required and that Joint Base asked to be kept informed of construction progress. Heaviger also said the tower design meets commonly accepted engineering standards and described fall‑zone engineering and manufacturer safety history in response to questions about structural risk.

Commission discussion covered camouflage options, lighting and co-location. Heaviger said the tower will not be fitted with an obstruction light because it is below flight‑path thresholds for local air operations and Randolph airfield review, and that Joint Base San Antonio had not required lighting. Commissioners asked whether the tower would accommodate multiple carriers; Heaviger said Vertical Bridge intends to market space on the tower and noted standard practice is to allow collocation.

The commission explicitly considered aesthetics: while staff called camouflage a recommendation, Commissioner Danny Muth moved to approve the special-use permit with the staff recommendation for camouflage included; Vice Chair Billy Ortiz seconded. The motion passed. Commissioners then approved the variance for height (the agenda described a 155-foot monopole) by a separate motion and second.

A note on measurements: the agenda and public materials stated the variance request described a 155-foot monopole. During the presentation the agent referred to a different measurement when discussing antenna placement (he spoke at one point of "55 feet plus a 10‑foot lightning rod"). That discrepancy appears in the meeting record and is noted here as a clarification drawn from the transcript; the variance and staff materials reference the 155‑foot figure listed in the agenda packet.

Next steps are for the item to proceed to city council; commissioners and staff said required federal clearances and final construction permits would be addressed in the building‑permit process.

Votes at a glance

- Special‑use permit (item 10): Approved (motion: Danny Muth; second: Billy Ortiz). No opposed votes were recorded on the floor. - Variance from Chapter 50, Section 50‑277 (item 11): Approved (motion: Danny Muth; second: Dorothea O'Donnell). No opposed votes were recorded on the floor.