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La Paz County supervisors split on nearby cell-tower proposals near Parker
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Summary
Supervisors denied one conditional-use permit for a 50-foot monopole near Highway 95 and approved a separate 104-foot tower on Frontier property, after staff and developers said both were intended to expand coverage along the river corridor.
La Paz County Board of Supervisors on April 7, 2025 denied a conditional-use permit for a 50-foot wireless monopole proposed near Highway 95 in Parker and approved a separate application for a taller monopole on Frontier Communications property with a removal stipulation.
The two proposals, both recommended for approval by the county Planning and Zoning Commission on March 6 by unanimous vote, were presented as part of the same network buildout along the Colorado River corridor. County staff and applicants said the projects were intended to expand cellular and wireless Internet coverage up and down the river, but board members stressed the proximity and aesthetic differences between the two potential sites.
Planning staff said the first application (docket labeled in the record as CUP 2020-5-3) requested “a new wireless communications facility, a 50 foot monopole plus associated ground equipment cabinets, all within a fenced 250-square-foot triangular-shaped compound” with a 15-foot setback from the parcel boundary. Michael Campbell, a consultant with Rocky Mountain Towers, said the anchor tenant would be Intermax, an Internet service provider: “Intermax is a wireless Internet service provider. WISP is what's known in the industry.” Campbell told the board his client’s RF analysis showed a “desperate need for coverage along Highway 95.”
Supervisor Deuce Minor, whose district includes the sites, told colleagues he planned to oppose the 50-foot pole and support the alternate proposal because of location and the anchor-tenant arrangements discussed at the Planning and Zoning meeting. Minor said the alternate site is “back up against the mountain and the highway,” and that he considered it “aesthetically … much more appealing” than a tower placed close to the roadway and adjacent commercial parcels.
The alternate application (docket recorded as CUP 2025-04 for parcel APN 311-35-004 A) proposed a 100-foot tower with a 4-foot lightning rod for a total height of 104 feet on Frontier Communications property, in a 50-by-50-foot enclosure with an 8-foot chain-link fence and planned room for three carriers to collocate. Alex Crow, appearing virtually for the applicant, described the site and co-location plans: “It's proposed to be in a 50 foot by 50 foot enclosure with an 8 foot high chain link fence… a 104 foot tall monopole with a plan for 3 carriers to collocate.” Crow also said the applicant’s ground lease with Frontier includes language addressing decommissioning and that the company would accept a board stipulation requiring removal if the facility is taken out of service.
On the motions, the board voted to deny the 50-foot monopole application and to approve the 104-foot monopole on Frontier property. The approval included a stipulation that, if the tower is decommissioned, the company must remove it at its expense within six to nine months.
Board and staff members repeatedly noted the regional network plan described by carriers, saying the towers are intended to be sequenced so coverage moves upriver toward Castle Rock Resort and other riverfront communities. Planning staff reiterated that both conditional-use requests arrived with unanimous Planning and Zoning recommendations and that public notices were sent; staff reported no written objections on record.
Why it matters: The decisions affect near-term cellular and wireless Internet availability along a populated stretch of Highway 95 and the Colorado River corridor, and they set local conditions — including a removal timeline — that the county will rely on if carriers later cease operations at approved sites.
Votes at a glance - CUP (docket CUP 2020-5-3) — parcel APN 311-38-011 L (address 7911 Riverside Drive): motion to deny — Denied. - CUP (docket CUP 2025-04) — parcel APN 311-35-004 A (address 3313 090 Seventh Street): motion to approve with stipulation that decommissioned towers be removed at the company’s expense within 6–9 months — Approved.
Ending: The board’s action closes the immediate permitting dispute between the two applicants; applicants retain the option to reapply or to modify proposals and return to Planning and Zoning or the board for future consideration.
