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Board approves 120‑foot T‑Mobile monopole at Ballou High School to restore service after vandalism
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Summary
The Board approved T‑Mobile’s special‑exception application to install a 120‑foot monopole at Ballou High School to replace decommissioned antennas and restore local coverage; the Office of Planning and ANC 8C supported the proposal and DGS will own the monopole while T‑Mobile will maintain it.
The Board of Zoning Adjustment on June 25 granted a special exception (application No. 21284) allowing T‑Mobile Northeast LLC to install a 120‑foot monopole on the Ballou High School campus at 3401 Fourth Street SE to restore cellular coverage lost when rooftop equipment at a nearby site was vandalized.
Curran Smallwood, representing T‑Mobile, said the existing antennas at 3720 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE had been decommissioned after vandalism and the proposed monopole would “continue coverage in the neighborhood and allow for colocation of other carriers.” The application was filed under Subtitle X §901.2 and sought relief under Subtitle C §1313 for a telecommunications monopole.
The Office of Planning supported the application. Karen Thomas (Office of Planning) noted the District’s concern with vandalism of telecom equipment and said the installation addresses an important service location in Southeast: “This installation is in support of trying to mitigate the vandalization of equipment particularly for the district.” DGS will own the monopole and T‑Mobile will maintain it, Smallwood said.
City agencies including DDOT and the fire/emergency medical services raised no objections, and ANC 8C provided support on the record. Photo simulations shown to the board indicated the monopole would be visually consistent with nearby light standards and utility poles; the company proposed a fenced compound at the monopole base and capacity for two additional colocations.
The board motion to approve was made by Chairman Fred Hill, seconded by Vice Chair Carl Blake, and recorded as a 4‑0‑1 vote in favor (Hill, Blake, Kershawn Smith and Dr. Joe Imamura voted yes). The board concluded the design and location met the special‑exception standards in Subtitle C §1313 and that the monopole would be in harmony with the zoning regulations.
Next steps: the site will proceed to permitting; DGS and T‑Mobile will finalize ownership and maintenance arrangements and the applicant must comply with any permit conditions shown in the Office of Planning report.
