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Staff briefs commission on proposed 150‑foot Loop Road monopole to close wireless coverage gap in Doney Park
Summary
Planning staff presented a conditional use permit application for a 150‑foot monopole and ground equipment in a heavy‑industrial pocket on Loop Road (Doney Park) intended to close a local cellular coverage gap; commissioners were reminded not to consider RF emissions, which are regulated by the FCC.
Community Development staff briefed the Planning and Zoning Commission during the study session on May 28 about an application (CUP25018) for a 150‑foot monopole telecommunications tower on a 3.2‑acre heavy industrial parcel at 7270 Loop Road in the Doney Park area.
Planner Zach Schwartz said the site is within a cluster of industrial uses and that the applicant’s coverage maps show an existing gap the proposed tower would fill. The proposed lease area is a 60‑by‑60 fenced compound that would include a backup generator and equipment cabinets; the monopole would be located near the middle of the lease area and the facility is engineered so a collapse would remain on the parcel. The tower was ranked by the zoning ordinance as a middle‑preference new tower in an industrial zone and is not listed as a disfavored facility.
Commissioners were reminded that the Federal Communications Commission has sole authority to regulate radio‑frequency emissions and that county review is limited to land use, visual impacts and zoning standards. Staff asked the commission to consider whether the proposed facility is the least intrusive means to close the demonstrated coverage gap.
Why it matters: the county’s comprehensive plan supports expanded wireless service in appropriate locations; the dispute about where to place towers and whether co‑location or other lower‑profile alternatives were adequately explored is a frequent planning issue.
Next steps: staff will prepare a formal staff report and analysis for the June public hearing cycle, including photo simulations, zoning ordinance conformance and a full least‑intrusive‑means evaluation.
