Verizon-backed 150-foot monopole proposed near Lone Mountain Road; staff recommends CUP with conditions

County staff recommended approval of a conditional use permit for a new 150-foot wireless communication monopole on a parcel near Lone Mountain Road that the applicant and agent said would improve cellular coverage along northern state routes.

Marie Martinez, a building and development review specialist with the Growth Management Division, presented case number 2045330 on behalf of staff and said the proposed facility would be a 150-foot monopole with a 40-by-40 fenced compound for ground equipment on an agricultural-ranching (AR) zoning parcel. Staff found the application met the Sustainable Land Development Code's conditional use criteria and relevant design standards and recommended approval subject to conditions. Martinez said no written public comments had been received as of the hearing.

Christopher Creel, representing Pinnacle Consulting on behalf of Sun State Towers and Verizon Wireless, told the hearing the site was selected after multiple community discussions and is located southwest of an existing AT&T co-location (on a PNM power pole). Creel said siting near existing tall infrastructure and high-voltage lines reduced visual impacts and allowed use of existing access and utilities. "We spent probably a couple years looking for sites around this project," Creel said, adding that the location "really just kinda blends in with the tall infrastructure already in place." He said Verizon is the anchor tenant for the proposed compound and that other carriers could co-locate in the future.

Hearing officer Marilyn Hebert and county staff asked technical questions about fall radius and proximity to roads. Staff said the tower would be set back from property lines and the roadway and that towers are designed to fail in segments (a midpoint break) rather than fall as a single 150-foot piece; staff said a 75-foot radius would be the primary fall zone metric. Creel said the applicant would pursue required federal approvals (FAA and FCC) and county conditions and that Verizon aims to construct as soon as approvals are complete, possibly with construction targeted by the end of 2025.

The staff report identified the site at 364 Lone Mountain Road; staff said the leased compound would be 40 by 40 feet (1,600 square feet) on a 27,782-acre tract as stated in the record. (The staff report and exhibits provide the precise legal description.) Martinez said the Planning Commission may hold a public hearing on the matter on May 22, 2025. The hearing officer said she will prepare a recommended order within 15 business days.

No members of the public testified in person at the hearing. The record includes staff reports, site plans, and correspondence; staff entered recommended conditions into the record. No final decision was made at the hearing.