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Ben Hill County approves Verizon cell-tower special exception at 556 Astor Road
Summary
The Ben Hill County Commission approved a special exception allowing Verizon to erect a cell tower at 556 Astor Road, contingent on the company granting county public-safety access and paying for the required engineering study. The motion passed unanimously.
The Ben Hill County Board of Commissioners on July 7 approved a special exception enabling Verizon to construct a cell tower on property owned by Gary and Elizabeth Fowler at 556 Astor Road.
Zoning Administrator Lawton Lovett introduced the request during a public hearing; Verizon representative Michael Raia participated by phone. After the hearing, Commissioner John Mooney moved to approve the special exception contingent upon Verizon granting Ben Hill County Public Safety access and paying for the engineering study required by the county. Vice-Chair Hope Harmon seconded the motion, and the measure passed with Chairman Steve Taylor, Vice-Chair Hope Harmon, Commissioner John Mooney and Commissioner Daniel Cowan voting in favor.
The approval includes two explicit conditions recorded by the commission: (1) Ben Hill County Public Safety must be granted access to the site and (2) Verizon must pay for the engineering study. Minutes record that there were no public comments during the hearing.
The decision follows standard local procedures for special exceptions under the county zoning process. The county did not record any statutory citations or ordinance numbers in the minutes relating to the approval. The commission did not specify a timeline for construction in the meeting record.
The action was taken after the public hearing portion of the meeting; no appeals or additional conditions were noted in the minutes. The commission returned to regular business after recording the vote.
