Staff recommends approval for 65-foot Verizon tower with conditions; agent says tower will accommodate collocators

Santa Fe County staff recommended approval of a conditional use permit to construct a 65-foot wireless communication facility on about 170.02 acres, with a 1,600-square-foot equipment pad and a secured 40-by-40-foot equipment enclosure. Staff said the applicant addressed applicable design standards in SLDC chapters 7 and 10 and found that visual and safety impacts are minimized under the code.

David Kluchnik, agent for Sun State Towers and Verizon Wireless, said Sun State Towers would own and build the monopole and that Verizon would be the initial anchor tenant; the tower is designed to accommodate two future collocators to avoid additional towers in the area. Kluchnik said the landowner is the Campbell Farming Group and that the surrounding land remains agricultural. The applicant confirmed it obtained access approval from the New Mexico Department of Transportation for access from NM 344.

The hearing officer asked whether the tower would be disguised as a tree; the agent said it would not: it will be a mono-pole finished in a county-approved tan adobe color. The agent also said wind-loading design accounts for 105 mph winds and that the equipment compound will be fenced and locked.

No public comment was recorded. The hearing officer accepted the record and took the matter as submitted for a written recommendation.