Brandon holds public hearing on rezoning 108 Park Street for proposed cell tower; no vote taken

Brandon City Council held a public hearing during its meeting to consider the first reading of Ordinance 746, a rezoning request for 108 Park Street that applicants say is needed to site a wireless telecommunications tower to improve coverage and capacity on the city’s south side. Applicants from Elevated Towers and an RF engineer detailed site searches, technical need and federal preemption of health-based zoning denials; multiple residents and a planning commissioner urged the council to reject or further examine the location, citing schools, a flood plain and alternative locations including Aspen Park. After several hours of public comment and council questions, the council did not vote on the rezoning and moved into an executive session to consult legal counsel on potential litigation.

The applicants — Craig Snyder and Jonah Snyder of Elevated Towers and Shelly Eishens — told the council they had sought multiple possible sites during about a year of outreach and that the parcel at 108 Park Street was the only site where they secured permission from a landowner willing to host a tower. Craig Snyder said the company initially planned a 120-foot monopole but reduced the design to 90 feet to meet setback requirements for the parcel. He said the city currently has one freestanding tower and a water-tower site carrying carrier equipment and argued the south side lacks redundancy and capacity: “If a fiber optic cable gets cut, if power goes out, if weather hits … especially if it's all on one tower, you lose all three carriers in one moment,” Snyder said, urging the council to reverse a prior denial and approve the rezone so carriers can pursue a conditional use permit.

Residents opposing the proposal said the chosen parcel is too small and too…