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Commission approves Verizon wireless tower and 115‑foot faux windmill in Mason Valley
Summary
The Board granted a conditional use permit for a 95‑foot wireless communications tower topped by a 20‑foot decorative windmill structure on a 2,500 sq. ft. lease area near Scarsdale Drive after staff and applicant described EMF safety studies and visual‑mitigation measures.
The Lyon County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a conditional use permit March 6 allowing Verizon Wireless and tower owner Vertical Bridge to construct a wireless communications facility topped by a 20‑foot decorative, non‑rotating windmill on a small leased area in Mason Valley.
Lisa Nash, senior planner, said the proposal combines a 95‑foot communications tower with a 20‑foot nonmoving windmill element to reduce visual impact; the tower lease area is about 2,500 square feet and set well back from property lines. “There is a gap right in that area along the highway and in that section where there’s minimal and spotty coverage, so this is a pretty needed facility,” Nash said.
Applicant representative Chris Hatch (Vertical Bridge/Verizon) said an independent electromagnetic‑energy (EME) report accompanied the application and that the site’s emissions fall well below Federal Communications Commission exposure limits. “Studies were done on the property that show that this is well below any reporting requirements, signage requirements, and will be maintained, in all respects, as a healthy portion of wireless development,” Hatch said.
Nash told the board the Planning Commission had approved the application unanimously and asked questions about decommissioning when leases expire; the applicant confirmed lease and decommissioning provisions are in the property lease with the landowner.
The approved conditions require the applicant to meet all county building and fire code requirements, hold maintenance access within the lease area, use a six‑foot chain‑link fence (planned with tan privacy slats), and follow the visual standards in the staff report. Monthly site visits for generator exercise and routine maintenance were described as low‑impact; no additional regular traffic is expected beyond occasional maintenance trips.
The motion to approve the conditional use permit passed unanimously. The Planning Commission had recommended approval; county staff said the project complies with master‑plan goals for wireless facilities and that the windmill design mitigates the tower’s visual profile in a rural setting.
