Planning commission approves three AT&T tower permits after heated public comment on park site

The Fargo Planning Commission on Tuesday approved three conditional-use permits (CUPs) allowing AT&T to install temporary and permanent telecommunications support structures — commonly called cell towers — at Mickelson Fields, on North Dakota State University property near 40th Avenue North, and at Rose Creek Golf Course. The commission approved the three permits after hearing technical presentations from AT&T representatives and more than a half-dozen neighborhood speakers who urged alternatives or additional aesthetic and safety protections.

The permits were presented by planning staff as part of AT&T’s priority FirstNet initiative to bolster emergency-response wireless coverage in parts of North Fargo. Planning staff and the applicant described each site as meeting the Fargo Land Development Code requirements for height and separation for telecommunications support structures; the CUPs approve the land-use exceptions needed because the proposed heights exceed by-right limits in the applicable zones.

Why it matters: AT&T said the three sites narrow persistent coverage gaps on Fargo’s north side and are part of an emergency-response network upgrade. Neighbors and the Horace Mann Neighborhood Association countered that the Mickelson Fields placement — adjacent to playgrounds, ball fields and a popular sledding hill — will harm park aesthetics, could reduce nearby property values and raises concerns about long-term radio-frequency exposure for children.

Staff presentation and applicant case Donald…