Supervisors approve zoning change and permit for 225-foot emergency communications tower at landfill site

Botetourt County supervisors approved changes to the county zoning ordinance to allow more flexible siting rules for telecommunications towers that primarily serve public-safety communications, and subsequently approved a commission permit and a special-exception permit to build a 225-foot emergency-communications tower on county landfill property.

The board first adopted a text amendment to Chapter 25 (telecommunications facilities) that clarifies how height limits and setbacks apply to towers that serve emergency communications. The changes move technical height and setback language into a clearer section of the ordinance and add procedural steps requiring an engineering failure-mode/fall-zone analysis, inspection and maintenance plans, and design features intended to limit projection of debris off the site. If an engineering analysis demonstrates a smaller fall zone than the default setback, the zoning administrator may approve a reduced setback. The change was recommended by the planning commission and adopted by the board after a public hearing.

After adopting the code change, supervisors considered permits for a specific tower on county-owned landfill land in the Amsterdam District (tax map 70–5B). The project proposes a 225-foot, freestanding communications tower within a small fenced compound; the facility is intended to support the county’s emergency communications network. The board first found the plan substantially conforms to the comprehensive plan (a commission permit), then granted the special-exception permit with conditions that require substantial conformance to the conceptual site plan, compliance with noise standards, and adherence to all local, state and federal requirements.

Why it matters: The text amendment creates a regulatory path that better accommodates towers built primarily for public safety — enabling the county to site facilities where they are technically required for coverage while maintaining engineering and public-safety protections. The landfill tower was approved as part of the county’s broader emergency-communications infrastructure plan.

Votes and formal actions - Text amendment to Chapter 25 (telecommunications facilities) — approved after public hearing (motion: adopt planning commission recommendation; outcome: approved). -…