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Zoning board backs 20-year renewal for Crown Castle communications tower in Johnson County
Summary
The East Consolidated Zoning Board recommended approval of a 20-year renewal for a Crown Castle conditional use permit for a 165-foot communications monopole at 2110 Metcafe Avenue, finding the site compliant with county standards and largely screened from nearby streets.
The East Consolidated Zoning Board voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners approve a 20-year renewal of a conditional use permit for an existing Crown Castle communications facility at 2110 Metcafe Avenue.
Sean Penley, county planning staff, told the board the facility sits on about a 1-acre leased area within a larger WaterOne parcel and consists of a 165-foot monopole with ground equipment in a roughly 3,900-square-foot fenced compound. Penley said staff recommends approval and a waiver of the usual screening requirement because the tower compound is approximately 550 feet from the nearest public street and is largely screened by the WaterOne site and distance from the road.
Paul Pekkins, the applicant’s agent for Crown Castle, said the facility complies with state and federal requirements and that renewing the permit aligns with federal telecommunications policy by helping carriers avoid significant coverage gaps. “The application itself is in alignment with the zoning regulations,” Pekkins said, adding the site has been managed under a ground lease with WaterOne since the original 1997 permit.
Penley told the board there had been no comments or objections from surrounding property owners and that WaterOne had no objections. With no public opposition at the meeting, board member Ken Sanderson moved to approve the staff recommendation; Rod Richardson seconded the motion and the board voted unanimously to forward the item to the BOCC. Penley said the BOCC will consider the item at its May 14 meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the county administration hearing room.
The staff report lists the site’s zoning as rural (RUR), notes prior CUP approvals and renewals (1997, 2002, 2012), and documents that the compound allows future collocation subject to structural analysis and applicable standards. The record shows the applicant has a ground lease with WaterOne and that staff’s recommended waiver targets landscaping/screening standards rather than technical safety or structural requirements.
