Planning commission recommends 275-foot communications tower near Brady despite neighbor lighting concerns

LINCOLN COUNTY, Neb. — The Lincoln County Planning Commission on April 9 recommended approval of a conditional use permit (CU24-002) submitted by Tillman Infrastructure and property owners Richard Barber and Gloria Liljestrand-Barber to construct a 275-foot wireless communications tower south of Interstate 80 near Brady.

County Planner Judy Clark said the applicant intends the facility to provide Verizon cellular coverage to the community and that the tower is designed to allow future collocations; planning staff raised no objection. The applicant was not present in the meeting room but was reachable by phone, Clark said.

Commissioners discussed tower siting and lighting. Clark and the commission noted the planning panel cannot dictate tower lighting because lighting is determined by hazard and aviation determinations. Commissioner Aaron Edwards said he had contacted surrounding property owners and relayed their chief concern: "the white flashing light they don't want in their windows." The commission discussed that lighting requirements are controlled by aviation/hazard findings rather than local site approval.

Roger Merritt moved and Aaron Edwards seconded adoption of Resolution CU24-002 "A", recommending approval of the conditional use permit for the 275-foot tower on property described as Part of Lots 7 & 8, All of Lot 9 & Accretions to Section 8, Township 12 N, Range 27 W of the 6th P.M., Lincoln County, Nebraska. Roll-call vote: Aye—Chuck Boden, Brent Roggow, Aaron Edwards, Lee Davies, Roger Merritt, Zak Eickhoff, Russ Miller; Nay—none; Absent—Rod Rayburn, Marlene Flaming, Mitch Moorhead, Judy Pederson. Motion carried.

The commission's action was a planning recommendation recorded in the adopted resolution; no further county action was recorded in the transcript.