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Planning panel recommends Union Wireless 80-foot tower with easement and removal conditions
Summary
Natrona County planning commissioners voted unanimously to recommend approval of Union Wireless’s application to build an 80-foot lattice tower near the existing 50-foot structure, conditional on recorded access easements and removal of the old tower within one year of the new tower becoming operational.
The Natrona County Planning and Zoning Commission on July 8 voted unanimously to forward a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners for Conditional Use Permit 26-02, allowing Union Wireless to construct an 80-foot self-supporting lattice tower near its existing 50-foot structure on the east side of Casper.
Planning staff found the application complete and in compliance with the 2022 Natrona County zoning resolution but recommended conditions: that all access easements be recorded prior to construction and that the existing 50-foot tower be removed within one year after the new tower is operational.
Chris Schlax of SACE Wireless, representing Union Wireless, told the commission the project is part of a federally funded “rip-and-replace” effort to remove certain legacy equipment. “There’s some Chinese-made equipment that’s deployed out in the network and the federal government has determined that that is a national security threat,” Schlax said. He added the new tower would enable higher modulation schemes, greater user throughputs and collocation of future equipment, and that Union Wireless is willing to remove the older tower once the new site is proven operational.
Neighbor Joe Nicholas said he supports improved service but urged the commission to require comparative RF studies at incremental heights (50, 60, 70 and 80 feet) to confirm the 80-foot height is a technical necessity rather than a cost-driven choice. He also asked that the commission consider a monopole design for visual reasons and that removal of the old tower be written into any approval.
Commissioners pressed applicants on easement status; Union representatives said recorded easements are being negotiated with multiple landowners and PacificCorp and that a survey is complete. The commission’s motion incorporated language to require easements be in place before construction begins and to require removal of the old tower within one year of the new tower’s operation. The motion passed unanimously and the item will go to the Board of County Commissioners on July 8.
Next steps: the Board will consider the commission’s recommendation; staff stated easements must be recorded before the BOCC hears construction authorization, per the commission’s condition.
