City approves Verizon tower rezoning to improve coverage; neighbors raise tree-buffer questions

Barnesville city officials unanimously approved Ordinance No. 579 to rezone a 0.238-acre parcel on Yatesville Road from R-2 to I-Industrial with a conditional use permit to allow a Verizon telecommunication tower.

Lloyd McCarthy of Tower Engineering Professionals told a January public hearing the site was chosen after a year of analysis to improve Verizon customers’ coverage and capacity in the area. McCarthy said the tower would require approximately 10,000 square feet for equipment and access and said the proposed structure would be about 155 feet tall; he acknowledged submitted documents had at times listed a different figure (195 feet) and clarified the working figure was 155 feet.

Neighbor Anita Brown initially voiced a concern about trees being removed but later told the council she supports locating the tower in this area because she has poor cell service and needs better coverage. “I want the Verizon tower here because I have no signal,” she said.

Acting City Manager Tim Turner and the Lamar County Planning Commission had previously cleared the application for a hearing; the council’s final vote on February 1, 2021 adopted the ordinance and the conditional use permit.

Council and staff noted the tower will increase coverage and relieve capacity on the existing Highway 341 facility, though McCarthy said replacement of other towers was not immediate and that the new structure’s primary purpose was to address coverage and capacity shortfalls.

The city’s approval includes standard conditions for site development and buffering; staff said they would coordinate permitting and site-inspection requirements as the company advances engineering and siting work.