Lunenburg supervisors approve 299-foot Verizon tower and clarify landfill permit to allow free residential drop-off

The Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 12 unanimously approved a conditional use permit for Cellco Partnership (d/b/a Verizon Wireless) to construct and operate a 299-foot wireless communication tower in an A-1 agricultural zoning district near the intersection of Plank Road and Wallace Bridge Road (tax parcel 056-0A-0-31).

County Planner Glenn Millican told the board the Planning Commission recommended approval provided the applicant adheres to the county’s wireless communication tower ordinance. Verizon representatives Mark Kronenthal and Jeff Holland presented the proposal and requested the board’s approval.

Supervisor T. Wayne Hoover asked whether a permit could include a rider giving priority to public-safety antennas. Kronenthal said state law changed in 2018 and “no longer allows permits to require public safety antennas take a place of precedence on a new tower,” and added that Verizon would be open to voluntarily leasing space to public-safety users but that such a condition could not be required. Millican noted the standard project timeline would typically allow up to two years for completion though it could be sooner.

At the same meeting the board also approved an amendment to CUP-3-19 for Meridian Waste to clarify that Lunenburg County residents in personal, noncommercial vehicles with proof of residency may deliver residential waste to the landfill located at 45 Landfill Road without charge. Millican said the amendment aligns the CUP’s wording with the Host Agreement and drew no opposition from the Planning Commission.

Both the Verizon CUP and the Meridian Waste amendment passed by roll call vote with all seven supervisors voting yes.