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Board approves three Bijou Hills meteorological towers with standard SUR conditions
Summary
The Elbert County Board approved three special‑use‑by‑review permits for meteorological (MET) towers — two 60‑meter towers and one 81.3‑meter tower — with conditions including removal requirements and compliance with FAA/FCC rules; one planning commissioner had opposed a proposed fixed time limit on the permits.
The Elbert County Board of County Commissioners on June 11 approved three special‑use‑by‑review (SUR) permits for meteorological towers (MET towers) proposed by HILDSWEN LLC and associated applicants. The three SUR cases are recorded in the meeting as SUR 20240109 (Worrell property), SUR 20240114 (Hurtnecki property) and SUR 20242490 (Chambers property). The approvals were accompanied by the planning commission’s recommended conditions: removal of public hearing signs within 14 days, payment of fees and a 2% cost‑of‑construction fee prior to recordation, recordation of required documents within 180 days, and adherence to applicable FAA and FCC regulations during the life of each tower.
County staff described each tower’s siting and technical details. The towers are proposed on large agricultural parcels ranging from 160 to 640 acres. Two towers are 60 meters tall and one is 81.3 meters (the larger tower requires aviation lighting and specific coloration under FAA rules). The primary stated purpose is temporary meteorological data collection for potential future wind‑energy project planning; staff emphasized the towers are non‑broadcasting and will be equipped with small solar panels and data loggers. Setbacks require the base of each tower be no closer to property lines than the tower’s height and guy‑wire anchor points to be protected with exclusionary fencing.
Staff noted the towers had been the subject of earlier community meetings and a planning commission hearing that recommended approval by a 6–1 vote. The dissenting planning commissioner opposed a proposed time limit on SUR entitlements, arguing the county should not impose a fixed timeline on private business operations. Staff and the applicant discussed a removal/decommissioning condition; the applicant agreed to decommission towers no later than 120 days after lease end, project cancellation or conclusion of data collection but asked the board to consider existing MET installations that might offset data‑collection needs.
During the board meeting the applicants and their consultants confirmed they had addressed referral comments, had filed FAA notices (staff reported FAA determinations of no hazard), and included a corrected deed in the packet with landowner names. The board approved each SUR in separate motions: the Worrell SUR (20240109), the Chambers SUR (20242490) and the Hurtnecki SUR (20240114); each motion carried with commissioners voting in favor. The board then closed the public hearing for all three SURs.
Conditions recommended by planning — removal within 14 days of decision, payment of fees and recordation within 180 days, FAA/FCC compliance and payment of a 2% construction fee to Elbert County — were included; staff also presented but did not require a suggested decommissioning deadline and a possible five‑year SUR timeline for board consideration. The board’s approvals adopted the planning commission’s primary four conditions and the applicants agreed to them.
