Planning commission pauses vote on 189-foot cell tower after residents raise safety, property-value and process concerns

Freebird Communications asked the Cobb County Planning Commission on May 6 to approve a special land use permit for a 185-foot telecommunications tower (189 feet including lightning rod) at the northeast corner of Acworth Due West Road and Jim Owens Road. The commission held the case for more community engagement and additional materials.

The applicant’s representative, Greg Spence of Fortified Telecom Services, said the tower was needed to add capacity and coverage in northwest Cobb County and that Verizon had identified the site as the minimum height and location required. “The revised design is in line with precedent previously set in the county as well,” Spence told commissioners.

Why it matters: Residents living nearest the proposed tower told the commission the structure would sit within a few hundred feet of homes and a child-care center and could harm property values and create health and safety concerns. Sarah Maves, who said her property is adjacent to the site, told the commission the tower’s fall zone and proximity would make lots she planned to sell unsalable: “If this tower goes through, we will lose this investment which we worked for and planned for,” she said. Other neighbors cited potential impacts on stormwater, wildlife and the visual character of the neighborhood.

What county reviewers found: Cityscape Consultants, the county’s third‑party reviewer, said the applicant’s technical materials had been made complete and that, on engineering and radio-frequency grounds, the proposal met the county code’s criteria for a new wireless facility and addressed the “gap in coverage” presented in Verizon’s propagation maps. Cityscape recommended the board require a fuller structural analysis, NEPA/SHPO documentation, that coax/feedlines be placed inside the monopine, and that the final site plan be reviewed for changes before permits are issued. County stormwater staff noted nearby lakes and flood‑plain areas and recommended standard water‑quality and erosion controls.

Residents pressed alternate sites and notice procedures: Opponents told the panel they had not received clear, readable notice and asked whether county‑owned parcels or existing towers closer by had been considered. Jimmy Richards, president of the Mars Hill Memorial Association, pointed to a 2.9-acre county parcel near the roundabout and asked why the applicant had not sought that site. Cityscape said the applicant provided a sworn affidavit that its search radius (0.3 miles) contained no viable co‑location alternatives and that two AM broadcast towers outside the small search radius would not meet Verizon’s coverage objectives or would be difficult to retrofit.

Commission action: Commissioner Dantz moved to hold the case to allow a community meeting and for the applicant to provide follow‑up materials; the motion passed 3‑0. Commissioners asked the applicant to meet neighbors before the next hearing and to supply the additional structural and visibility analyses Cityscape requested. County staff said federal law forbids the commission from considering RF emissions or airwave suitability in its decision; the county attorney and Cityscape reiterated that the commission’s review is limited to the items listed in the local code (Cobb County Code section referenced in the hearing).

What’s next: The commission directed the applicant to provide the fuller structural analysis, NEPA/SHPO clearances and photo simulations tied to specific nearby residences and to hold a community meeting; the case will return for a future meeting so commissioners and staff can review those materials.