Planning commission recommends Houston County board approve 250-foot Cloud 1 telecommunication tower in Hoka Township

The Houston County Planning Commission voted to recommend that the county board approve a conditional use permit for a 250-foot self-support telecommunication tower on property owned by Jerry and Cindy Welke in Hoka Township.

Sean Hempstead, representing Cloud 1 and the project developer, told the commission the proposed tower at 2239 Welke Drive would sit inside a roughly 65-by-65 to 75-by-75 lease area with a 60-by-65 compound and is intended to improve AT&T coverage — including FirstNet public-safety service — across terrain-driven valleys and bluffs. “We are proposing a 250 foot self support tower at 2239 Welke Drive,” Hempstead said, describing conservative coverage estimates for building, in-car and outside service.

Planning staff presented analysis findings that supported approval: the proposal was consistent with the county land-use plan, would not degrade long-term water quality if topsoil is regraded after construction, and would not materially increase runoff given a 3,600-square-foot gravel compound and standard site leveling. The staff report also recommends geotechnical reviews before foundation design and notes designs are overbuilt to allow for multiple carriers. “We’re gonna over design it just in case,” Hempstead said, adding the foundation is typically sized to allow additional carriers in the future.

Commissioners discussed technical and policy points, including whether the structure is self-supporting (it is a three-legged self-support tower), co-location potential, the economics of carrier leases, and how to ensure towers that become unused are removed. Hempstead said that in many jurisdictions Cloud 1 and other tower owners accept a condition requiring removal after a defined inactivity period. The commission adopted a condition that the tower be decommissioned if inactive for 12 months.

On a motion to recommend approval to the county board the commission added three conditions: that the permittee comply with federal, state and local laws and regulations; that the county may enter the premises to verify compliance; and that the tower be decommissioned if unused for 12 months. The motion was seconded and passed on roll call; staff said the application will go before the Board of County Commissioners on Dec. 2 for final action.

The commission also noted visual impacts — the proposal would be the fifth tower in the general area — and discussed whether the county should add future ordinance language limiting tower density. Commissioners asked staff to research how other counties regulate clustering and whether a permit condition should require removal if a tower remains unused for a set period.

The county will consider the Planning Commission’s recommendation at its Dec. 2 meeting.