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Planning Commission approves special-use permit and variances for 174‑foot monopole cell tower at Parkway Center Drive
Summary
Commission approved a special-use permit and three variances for a proposed 170‑foot galvanized monopole (174 feet with lightning rod) at 1620 Buckeye Place; staff supported variances citing lot configuration and existing tree screening; applicant and AT&T representative said the tower will improve coverage and safety.
The Grove City Planning Commission approved a special-use permit and related variances for a proposed monopole cell tower on a 0.808‑acre parcel at 1620 Buckeye Place.
City development staff told commissioners the tower is a 170‑foot galvanized steel monopole with a 4‑foot lightning rod (total 174 feet). The tower sits about 157 feet from Buckeye Place, 61 feet from Parkway Center Drive and 37 feet from the adjacent property to the east; those dimensions do not meet the setback requirements in Grove City code sections 11‑37‑15. Staff recommended variances to setback and landscape-screening requirements and recommended approval of the special-use permit with the variances.
Steve Carr, the applicant’s representative, said the tower will materially improve local coverage—he estimated roughly a half‑mile to one‑mile radius of improved coverage depending on technology—and described the installation as a public-safety improvement. Carr said AT&T has partnered on this site and that other carriers will likely follow. He also described the regulatory timeline: FAA approval had been received; federal tribal consultations, state historical-preservation review and a National Environmental Policy Act process could add several months before construction permits are issued.
The staff report noted three variances: to allow an existing gravel driveway/turnaround (section 11‑37‑11(a)), to reduce the required setback dimensions in section 11‑37‑15, and to modify the two-row evergreen screening requirement around the fenced tower service area. The applicant supplied a manufacturer letter stating that if the monopole failed it would likely bend and remain attached, producing an approximate 35‑foot fall radius. A landscape plan showed 15 blue spruce and 6 flowering dogwood trees; staff said preservation of existing trees along Parkway Center Drive would provide additional screening.
After discussion and questions about coverage radius, monopine versus monopole aesthetics, and regulatory timing, the commission voted to approve the special‑use permit and the variances. Chair Oster, Mr. Farnsworth, Mr. Titus and Ms. Wendlinger voted yes.
