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Council approves special-use permit for 170-foot tower at Parkway Center with landscaping and setback conditions
Summary
Council granted a conditional special-use permit for a 170-foot Arcadia/AT&T tower at 1620 Buckeye Place after public comment and amendments that preserved certain landscaping plans and denied a gravel-driveway variance; applicants said the tower will be marketed to multiple carriers.
Grove City council approved an amended special-use permit Aug. 4 for a proposed 170-foot cellular tower at 1620 Buckeye Place, intended to improve coverage in the I‑70/Street Town Road hotel and restaurant area.
Applicant Steve Carr, representing Arcadia Infrastructure and AT&T Mobility, said the tower would improve connectivity in a high-traffic commercial corridor where customers have reported poor service. Carr described the proposed structure as 170 feet tall with a four-foot lightning rod and said the site would be marketed to other carriers once built.
Resident Mary Anne Crawford urged council to apply the existing zoning distance standards (section 1137.15) and expressed concern that the project, as proposed, did not meet the minimum distance from residential areas. Planning staff explained that the city’s height and setback rules were adopted in 1989–1990 and that modern tower designs, without guy wires and with improved safety standards, have altered how setbacks are applied.
Council amended the planning commission’s stipulations before voting: members voted to deny a variance allowing a gravel driveway in lieu of required asphalt/concrete surfaces; they granted deviations related to tower setback/height and approved alternative tree species and landscaping as shown on the development plan. Ms. Burrows moved to approve the amended special-use permit; the motion was seconded and carried by roll call.
Council members stressed the public-safety benefit of improved cellular service and noted that the tower owner intends to make the structure available to multiple carriers; staff confirmed the design will allow additional carriers to attach equipment. One council member also emphasized the importance of first-responder priority on the new infrastructure.
What’s next: The permit was approved with the adopted deviations and landscaping plan; construction and final engineering approvals will follow standard permitting steps and any supplemental planning conditions recorded in the development plan.
