Amherst County approves two 199-foot cell towers after public hearing despite resident health concerns

The Amherst County Board of Supervisors voted to approve special exceptions for two 199-foot wireless communication towers proposed for sites in Madison Heights and along Kempmore Farm Road, despite sustained public opposition about potential health and environmental effects.

At a meeting on Feb. 25, 2026, the board approved a Cellco Partnership (doing business as Verizon Wireless) application for a monopole at 257 Trojan Road (tax map 148-A-65) and a separate application from The Towers LLC for a second 199-foot tower (tax map 150-A-19). Both approvals were voice votes recorded 4–1.

The Verizon site at Manelison Middle School was described in staff materials as a 199-foot monopole within a 50-by-50-foot fenced equipment compound and a 75-by-75-foot lease area on a roughly 41.788-acre parcel. Staff said the county requires a setback equal to the structure height (a 1:1 ratio), and that the closest property line was 225 feet from the proposed facility while the nearest unrelated structure would be about 730 feet away. The planning commission recommended approval with four standard conditions: substantial compliance with the submitted site plan, evergreen screening around ground-level equipment, no artificial lighting except as required by federal aviation authorities and notice to the county of any transfer of ownership within 30 days.

Opponents at the hearing, including Jeff Porter of District 5, said notification for a November balloon test omitted some nearby properties and pressed the board to broaden mailed-notice criteria. Porter also raised noncancerous health and environmental concerns, asking the board to “deny this exception until such standards can be scientifically set.” Angela Sweet, who said she lives roughly a half-mile from the site, urged caution and updated studies.

The applicant’s attorney, Laurie Schweller, countered that RF exposure from towers and mobile devices has been studied internationally, that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sets emission guidelines and that federal law preempts local zoning decisions based on RF health concerns. Schweller noted the balloon test was conducted Nov. 3 and that photo-simulated views were included in the packet. Staff and the applicant emphasized expected benefits including improved 911 communications and service to underserved areas.

The Towers LLC proposal, similarly for a 199-foot monopole, was presented as a largely wooded site with screening and a 50-by-50-foot compound within a 75-by-75 lease area on roughly 28.5 acres. Staff said VDOT and the county fire marshal raised no access or safety concerns and that setbacks would meet the ordinance. The applicant said a November 1 balloon test showed limited visibility because of woods and topography; RF engineers estimated a 2–3 mile coverage radius depending on obstructions.

Board members discussed notification boundaries, previous denials of other tower proposals, the 200-foot threshold for FAA lighting (both towers are 199 feet), and local public-safety gaps the facilities could address. After a motion to deny the Verizon petition failed, the board approved the Verizon exception (4–1). A later motion to approve The Towers LLC special exception also passed 4–1.

The county attorney advised the board that under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, localities have limited authority to refuse cell-tower permits solely on the basis of RF health concerns if the facilities meet federal standards. Supervisors who voted in favor said the applications complied with the county’s ordinance and that staff followed required notification and procedural steps; several supervisors asked staff to consider whether notification rules should be broadened in future ordinance amendments.

The board’s approvals were conditioned on the planning-commission recommendations and the applicant meeting civil-design, FAA and building-permit requirements prior to construction. The supervisors said the approvals do not alter the federal regulatory regime that governs RF emissions and that any future concerns about notification or ordinance scope could be addressed through local code changes.