Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wireless Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Platte County planning panel approves 104-foot Rocky Mountain tower despite health objections
Summary
The Platte County Planning & Zoning Commission approved a special-use permit for a 104-foot telecommunications tower with eight conditions after public testimony that raised health and property-value concerns; commissioners required FAA clearance and other conditions before construction.
The Platte County Planning & Zoning Commission voted to approve a special-use permit for a 104-foot monopole telecommunications tower proposed by Rocky Mountain, after the applicant accepted eight conditions from county staff.
The planning office described the project as a single 104-foot monopole with a 60-by-60-foot equipment compound, ground-mounted cabinets and required utility connections. Planner materials and staff recommended eight conditions, including an FAA "no hazard to air navigation" determination listing the tower’s full height (including lightning rod), a final legal survey by a licensed Wyoming surveyor, specified setbacks, and confirmation of required federal and state approvals. The commission added those conditions to the approval.
Adjacent landowners Ed Meyer and Mary Meyer urged denial of the permit and presented a packet of studies and claims about long-term radio-frequency exposure, livestock impacts, insurance risk and property-value losses. Mary Meyer argued the permit would give the company broad latitude to upgrade the site in future, saying, "This proposed cell tower could be increased at height and strength at any time with very little over sight." (Mary Meyer). The Meyers asked the commission to relocate or deny the site, and said many published studies support keeping towers 1,500 feet from populated areas.
Commissioners and staff responded that the application was judged against existing county regulations and that the planning office could require third-party RF testing or delay construction until federal agency approvals were complete. The Chair read material summarizing national health-agency positions and said that an "overwhelming scientific consensus" has not shown RF exposures from towers at encountered levels to cause adverse health effects, noting routine household sources of non-ionizing RF.
Before the vote, a commissioner recused themself from voting on the item; the motion to approve the permit with the stated conditions carried by voice vote. The approval was conditioned on completion of the staff-requested items, including the FAA determination showing the tower’s full height.
The planning office recorded that adjacent landowners were notified and that no written comments had been submitted before the meeting. Rocky Mountain representatives were present and indicated they accepted the conditions on the record.
