Planning Commission seeks joint hearing on US Cellular tower after resident raises driveway, siting concerns

The Charlotte County Planning Commission voted to request a joint public hearing with the Board of Supervisors on US Cellular’s conditional use permit (CUP) application to build a telecommunications tower on property owned by Blue Rock Resources adjacent to a resident’s home.

During the public-comment portion, citizen Douglas Deaner asked for information about the application and raised concerns about the tower’s proximity to his property and possible impacts to a driveway that serves both properties. Emilee Switzer Lauer, the agent for US Cellular with Old Dominion Professional Services, provided a brief project overview. Staff representative Monica Elder reviewed the staff report and described advertising and notification requirements for the CUP process.

Commissioner Henry Carwile Jr. asked about tower placement; Lauer said siting decisions were made by the project engineer. Deaner told commissioners he worried construction could damage the shared driveway; Lauer said the construction crew would be responsible for maintaining the driveway and repairing any project-related damage. Board representative Kay Pierantoni suggested the commission include a condition addressing the driveway to protect the resident’s access.

Commissioner Clark Poindexter moved that the commission request a joint public hearing with the Board of Supervisors on the US Cellular CUP application; Cornell Goldman seconded and the motion carried with all members present voting yes. The commission did not set a date during the meeting; the joint hearing will be scheduled through the usual notification process described by staff.