Grayson County approves 199-foot Verizon monopole near Troutdale

Grayson County supervisors on March 14 approved a special-use permit for a 199-foot monopole wireless communications tower at 573 Chestnut Ridge Road in Troutdale.

The permit, submitted by Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless and presented to the board by Laura Schweller of Cellco Partnership, follows a February recommendation from the county Planning Commission. The county packet and the Planning Commission report recommended approval with conditions including construction according to submitted plans and decommissioning within 90 days of abandonment under the county zoning ordinance.

Laura Schweller, project representative for Cellco Partnership, said the 10-acre, forested ridge site should ‘‘propagate a signal 4 or 5 miles in every direction because of its location,’’ and that the facility is intended to improve coverage in the Jones, Melbourne and Flatridge areas. She told supervisors that Verizon would be the initial anchor tenant at the top of the monopole and that other carriers could lease space below. ‘‘If AT&T or any other carrier had an interest in providing service in this area, they would simply contact the tower owner and enter into sublease to put antennas on the monopole,’’ Schweller said.

Planning staff told the board the application complied with Grayson County zoning requirements for communications towers (section 3-15), and that the proposed setbacks exceed the ordinance minimums. The ordinance requires a setback equal to 125% of the tower height; for a 199-foot monopole that minimum would be about 248.75 feet. Staff reported the proposed tower would sit between about 490 feet and more than 2,000 feet from property boundaries and roughly 1,900 feet from the nearest off-site residence.

Staff also reported a requested landscaping waiver because the site is surrounded by existing tree cover that would provide screening. Planning staff recommended, and the Planning Commission endorsed, approval of the special-use permit with the landscaping waiver and with conditions that the tower be built and maintained according to the submitted plans and be decommissioned within 90 days of abandonment in compliance with section 3-15-12 of the zoning ordinance. The Planning Commission’s resolution also concluded the proposal was consistent with the county comprehensive plan chapters 5 and 8.

Schweller said the tower would be constructed and managed by Vertical Bridge; Verizon would lease a 12-by-20-foot space inside an equipment compound estimated at about 125 by 80 feet. Vertical Bridge has designed the monopole to accommodate at least three additional wireless providers and to reserve a 10-foot vertical space at approximately 140 feet for Grayson County to use for fire, rescue or other public-safety equipment at no charge.

A neighboring landowner, Joe Hash, raised concerns during the Planning Commission review about the potential for additional towers on the same parcel, any traffic increases on Chestnut Ridge Road and whether the county would receive tax revenue from the facility. Planning staff told the board those questions had been addressed in the Planning Commission review; the application packet documented setbacks, structural engineering and co-location opportunities.

The board voted by voice to approve the Planning Commission’s recommendation. The approval was recorded in the meeting minutes as a voice vote in favor with no opposition noted.

FAA review remained pending at the time of the meeting; staff said a written FAA determination about lighting had not yet been received and that the board packet reflected lighting requirements that the applicant told staff were not necessary. Schweller said engineering and structural reports (signed and sealed by Sabre Industries) were provided and that vertical-bridge design and county building-permit review would govern final compliance.

The county will proceed to the building-permit stage and work with the tower owner on access and utility easements, an access corridor (proposed 40-foot easement) and preservation of surrounding trees except in the small area cleared for the compound. No county funding or tax-appropriation for the facility was reported in the meeting.

The board’s action implements the Planning Commission’s February recommendation; the application record will proceed to permitting and any required state or federal approvals.