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Crown Castle seeks relocation tower on Sheldon Road; neighbors voice strong opposition
Summary
Crown Castle presented a wireless facility relocation plan that drew multiple waivers and robust neighborhood opposition. Applicant said the tower is needed to relocate service from an older lattice structure; neighbors said the proposed siting is too close to homes.
Crown Castle USA asked the Hillsborough County land use hearing officer on Feb. 24 for special‑use approval and associated waivers to relocate wireless antennas to a new monopole at a commercial site along Sheldon Road.
Applicant counsel Jimmy Meribel said the proposal relocates coverage provided by an existing 288‑foot lattice tower and would replace it with a modern monopole. The application and staff materials contain differing height references on the record: in the staff report and later testimony the proposed tower is described as 60 feet tall, while earlier applicant materials discussed a 160‑foot facility; the record shows both figures and the staff report and development services presentation refer to 60 feet.
Crown Castle requested two waivers and a landscape/buffering variance: (1) exception to the code’s camouflage (monopine) requirement in favor of an uncamouflaged monopole, (2) a waiver for the standard setback measured as a percentage of tower height to the adjacent AS‑1 zone on the east, and (3) a variance to buffer/screening requirements for the compound. The applicant said the monopole and compound screening (a 6‑foot PVC fence that Crown Castle offered to provide) are appropriate given the commercial character of Sheldon Road and existing tall structures visible from the corridor, including billboards and power poles.
Development Services staff and the county’s third‑party RF reviewer told the hearing that relocation is necessary because there is no practical nearby tower to collocate the existing antennas; the applicant’s RF witness (Mike Herco) explained modern sectorized arrays require multiple and larger antenna elements that slimmer camouflage structures or flagpole disguises cannot accommodate.
Several residents and community representatives testified in opposition. Mark Herman and Frank Fala, representing the Royal Enclave neighborhood across Sheldon, said the proposed tower would be visible from driveways and the community entrance and urged the county to seek an alternative site farther from homes. Tanya Padilla said the tower would abut a bus stop used by children. Opponents submitted a petition and said more than 150 people signed in opposition within 72 hours.
The applicant said some neighbors were contacted and some neighborhood groups had no objection after learning the proposal was a relocation rather than a proliferation of towers. Development Services staff and Planning Commission staff recommended approval subject to conditions in the staff report. The hearing officer closed the public hearing and will file a written decision within 15 business days.
No final county decision was made at the hearing. Any appeal would be limited to the hearing record.
