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Commission approves new monopole at Fresh Run site with conditions; waivers granted but fire-safety evidence required
Summary
The commission approved site plan modifications for the Hendersonville Utility District’s Fresh Run Drive property to replace a water tower with a new monopole and cell antennas, granting most ordinance waivers but requiring applicant engineering evidence on fire/explosive risk for staff and fire marshal review.
The Planning Commission approved a site plan for a new monopole at 98 Fresh Run Drive — a Hendersonville Utility District parcel — to replace an existing water tower and accommodate utility radio equipment and commercial carrier antennas. The commission granted most of the telecommunications ordinance modification requests but required the applicant to provide written technical evidence from a licensed engineer addressing fire, explosion or hazardous‑materials risks.
Hendersonville Utility District (HUD) is decommissioning an aging water tower at the Walton Ferry Peninsula site and proposes to replace it with a monopole that would host HUD’s radio equipment and antennas leased to carriers such as Verizon, AT&T and T‑Mobile. Staff noted the site currently supports utility and carrier equipment, and that much of the infrastructure predated the city’s current telecommunications ordinance.
The applicant asked for five modifications to the ordinance. Two of those requests were related to RF/power-density documentation and interference analysis; staff noted that federal law gives the FCC jurisdiction over RF emissions and that staff is proposing to remove those submission requirements from the local ordinance in a future update. The commission accepted that context and granted the RF‑information waiver.
Commissioners also granted a waiver for the 10‑foot landscaping buffer requirement where existing vegetation and adjacent properties preclude adding a ten‑foot screen entirely within the site. The commission granted a waiver from the 200‑foot setback requirement for towers because the HUD lot is very small and the existing water tower occupied a similar footprint. Staff and the planning director observed that had the property been a vacant parcel without an existing tower, staff would not favor several of the waivers, but the existing conditions and prior uses were significant considerations.
On modification number 2 — the ordinance requirement for written technical evidence from a licensed engineer showing the site does not pose a risk of fire, explosion or other hazardous conditions — planning staff and the fire marshal recommended the evidence remain a requirement. Commissioners adopted that recommendation and conditioned approval on the applicant providing engineer-signed documentation demonstrating no addition of volatile or hazardous materials and that the site’s installation meets fire-safety standards.
A motion to approve the requested modifications except for number 2 (which the commission required to remain) passed by roll call, 8–0. The commission included findings that the modifications were compatible with surrounding property character, that existing on-site conditions mitigated impacts and that the changes would not adversely affect public safety when the applicant provides the required engineering evidence.
Action: Modifications 1, 3, 4 and 5 were approved; modification 2 was not waived and requires submission of the requested engineer letter for review by the fire marshal and planning staff. The commission approved the site plan subject to staff comments and the required technical evidence for item 2.
Ending: Staff will circulate permit conditions and the applicant will provide the engineering documentation required by the fire marshal before final site-plan sign-off. Removing the existing water tank is expected to reduce some visual impacts once the monopole and associated landscaping are installed.
