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Council approves amendment to allow 150‑ft cell tower at Louisburg Plaza with aesthetic condition
Summary
The council approved an amendment to the Louisburg Plaza master plan to allow a 150‑ft monopine cell tower behind the Walmart, subject to an aesthetic condition to place branches at a lower height to better match the tree line; opponents raised EMF and health concerns that staff and the applicant said were addressed by FCC/FAA safety standards and site setbacks.
The Louisburg Town Council approved an amendment to the Louisburg Plaza master plan to permit a 150‑foot monopole (monopine) wireless communications tower behind the Walmart shopping center, with a council condition to adjust the camouflage profile so the lower branches better match the tree line.
Planning staff summarized regulatory requirements including a fenced compound, a 25‑ft buffer yard (applicant requested an 8‑ft buffer reduction along one frontage), co‑location requirements and structural certifications. The applicant’s engineering representative, Shahzad Mahmood of Kimley‑Horn (working with SBA Communications and Verizon), said the tower meets FCC and FAA requirements, that the antennas are mounted high above ground and that FAA reviewed the site and concluded lighting was not required.
An adjacent property owner (OLG Properties LLC) submitted a written letter raising health concerns about electromagnetic fields; staff and the applicant responded that FCC exposure limits and FAA determinations were met and reported the nearest USPS leasehold is approximately 400–749 ft from the tower base, a distance the applicant said placed workers outside harmful exposure thresholds.
Council member input emphasized aesthetics; a pastor’s motion asking the applicant to lower the bottom of the fake‑branch profile to the existing tree line was accepted as a friendly amendment and the council approved the amendment with that condition.
What happens next: the applicant still must secure any required special‑use permit approvals (Zoning Board of Adjustment) and post construction certifications, lighting and FAA/FCC documents as required by town code.
