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Planning commission approves 120-foot telecom monopole in Urban Crossing after heated public hearing
Summary
The City of Anna Planning and Zoning Commission approved a 120-foot monopole on a common-area lot in the Urban Crossing subdivision to improve cellular and internet coverage. The decision followed public testimony both supporting and opposing the project and passed 6–4 with one abstention.
The City of Anna Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve a specific-use permit for a 120-foot monopole telecommunications tower on a common-area lot in the Urban Crossing subdivision on May 5.
The permit was requested by Hemphill LLC and presented to the commission by Ralph Weingarten of Falcon Foster on behalf of the applicant. Weingarten told the commission the monopole would host Verizon at the top and allow space for three additional future providers, and that equipment from an existing 60-foot lattice tower on the lot would be relocated to the new monopole and the lattice tower removed. “There’s a real need in this area for better coverage and additional capacity,” Weingarten said, adding that improved wireless service supports emergency information and 911 calls.
Staff and the applicant proposed conditions including a 120-foot maximum height, design to accommodate at least four providers, and no lighting except as required by law. Weingarten said the Board of Adjustment granted a variance April 23 to allow the proposed setback/height relationship. Staff reported it received no responses to mailed notices for the hearing.
The hearing drew several Urban Crossing residents who spoke for and against the project. Supporters said the neighborhood lacks reliable internet and cell service and has tried for years to secure fiber or other solutions. Stewart Brown of 3027 Crossing Drive said the neighborhood cannot count on reliable internet: “Our neighborhood does not have that for Internet.” Several neighbors said efforts to secure fiber from AT&T and the cooperative had failed and that the monopole was the only feasible near-term option.
Opponents argued the tower is incompatible with the neighborhood and raised safety and property-value concerns. Lindsey Starr of Platt Richmond, representing a party opposing the tower, told the commission the project “violates the spirit of the zoning ordinance” and said the tower’s proximity to an emergency access lane raises the risk that, if the tower fell, it could block that access.
Commission discussion cited a previously granted Board of Adjustment variance and the city code’s separation requirement between monopoles and lattice towers. City staff noted a code table requiring separation that the applicant’s representative measured; Weingarten said the existing SBA lattice tower is about 2,961 feet from the proposed site, roughly double the 1,500-foot separation referenced in the code.
Commissioner Martin moved to approve; Commissioner Nylik seconded. The motion passed with six votes in favor, four opposed and one abstention.
The commission’s conditions will be incorporated into the final permit documents and the applicant must comply with the approved site plan and the city’s permitting process before construction can begin.
Votes at a glance: Motion to approve specific-use permit for 120-foot monopole — mover: Commissioner Martin; second: Commissioner Nylik; outcome: approved, 6 yes, 4 no, 1 abstain.
