Missouri City planning commission recommends Glen Lakes 155-foot cell tower to council, requires concrete access road

The Missouri City Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval to city council of a specific-use permit for a 155-foot monopole telecommunications tower on a roughly 2,500-square-foot leased parcel within a larger 15.43-acre tract near Glen Lakes and Lake Olympia, but imposed a condition requiring a reinforced concrete access road to the site.

The vote came after staff described the proposal as compliant with applicable city ordinance provisions and federal law, and after more than a dozen residents spoke in opposition during a public hearing that staff said had produced more than 130 protest letters combined across hearings. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to city council for consideration at its June 16 meeting.

Staff told commissioners the site is zoned SD (Suburban District), that specific-use permits are allowable under that classification, and that the application was reviewed for compliance with sections 15 and 15B of the city code. The staff presentation noted that federal law — the Telecommunications Act of 1996 — limits local regulation of wireless facilities and that the applicant provided the required inventory of existing towers within a one-mile radius; staff identified an existing Turtle Creek monopole in that radius but said colocation there would not meet the coverage needs described by Verizon. Staff recommended a positive recommendation to council.

Residents urged denial, citing property values, aesthetics, proximity to planned Freedom Tree Park and Community Park, safety around an unfenced compound, and concerns about dust from the proposed gravel access road. Several speakers cited reduced home values — one speaker said a study showed an average loss of about 7.6% within 1,000 feet — and requested alternative locations farther from homes. In total, staff said more than 130 protest letters and one support letter had been received across the two hearings; 23 protest letters were received specifically for the hearing reported that night.

The applicant, represented by an Atlas Towers representative, told the commission Verizon identified the area as having capacity and coverage gaps and that the company contacted multiple property owners before securing the lease for this parcel. The applicant said the tower had been moved about 122 feet from the prior proposed location to increase distance from homes, that the pole would be painted and visually “stealthed” to reduce visual impact, and that the compound would be enclosed by a locked six-foot fence. Atlas Towers said structural, geotechnical and stamped engineering plans would be submitted at the building permit stage, that the Federal Aviation Administration had cleared the height such that no obstruction lighting was required, and that routine maintenance visits would be infrequent (the applicant estimated roughly every six months). On generators, the applicant said carriers may use mobile generators or place a permanent generator depending on carrier choice.

Commissioners and the public asked about alternatives — moving the site farther onto the property, using different paving for the access, and whether the operator could reduce the tower height. The applicant said Verizon required the 155-foot height to meet coverage/capacity needs and that moving the location significantly would either put the site too close to existing towers or require a different landlord agreement. The applicant agreed to explore further movement within the leased parcel if the landowner would allow it and acknowledged the commission’s authority to request construction conditions.

After public comment closed, one commissioner moved to recommend approval with one explicit condition: that the tower access road be constructed of reinforced concrete rather than loose crusher stone. The motion received a second and the commission voted in favor; the chair announced the motion carried and the item will go to city council on June 16 for final action.

The commission’s action was a recommendation only. City council will make the final decision at its June 16 meeting; any building permits, stamped structural drawings and geotechnical reports required to construct the tower will be reviewed at the building-permit stage if council approves the SUP and any other required permits are obtained.