Berkeley County approves taller public-safety radio tower on county land

The Berkeley County Board of Zoning Appeals voted to approve a county proposal to build a 305-foot public-safety radio tower on county-owned land near Cane Hoy Road.

Jonathan Yates, the applicant, told the board the site is about 1.52 acres on county property and that the facility is designed primarily for Berkeley County public-safety communications while reserving space for Charleston County and three future commercial carriers. "This is primarily … for Berkeley County," Yates said during the presentation, adding that the county received the parcel in 1999.

Sam Gaither, Berkeley County communications chief, outlined the technical reasons the county says it needs the taller structure. He said the county upgraded its radio network in 2018 and that anticipated growth in the Cane Hoy area means "there'll be approximately 18,000 homes out there" that first responders must reach. Gaither described the radio system as a simulcast network that requires careful height and spacing so towers do not cancel each other’s coverage, and he noted the tower design is certified to a structural standard for wind loads (engineer certification in the packet).

Gaither defended the economics and safety rationale: building on county-owned land avoids an additional land-purchase cost, and placing the county’s radio equipment at the top of the structure — with space below for Charleston County and licensed carriers — reduces the need for multiple towers. He gave a collapse-zone radius and said engineers sized the tower so it will not endanger adjacent county facilities.

Board members pressed for alternatives, asking whether multiple shorter towers or other configurations could provide comparable coverage. Gaither said radio "line-of-sight" and simulcast timing require the requested height to avoid interference between sites and to achieve the target coverage area without substantially increasing taxpayer costs.

Commissioner Jefferson moved to approve the request; the motion was seconded and the board voted to approve the exception/variance allowing the tower at the requested height. The decision allows county staff to proceed with site-plan and permit work, subject to any outstanding agency approvals noted in the county packet.

The board did not record a detailed roll-call tally in the transcript beyond the motion, second and the chair’s announcement that the request was approved. The next procedural step the presenters described is receipt of an archaeological clearance and final agency approvals before contractor work begins.