Planning trio hone cell rules

Those curious to see if the board of supervisors will approve the construction of a third new 199-foot tall cell tower this year will have to wait.

The application to build the tower in Brightwood – which was first postponed in June following the board’s approval of two other cell towers in Shelby and Radiant – has been put off by the applicant once again.

At the July 2 joint public hearing between the Madison County Board of Supervisors and the Madison County Planning Commission, Commissioner Bud Kreh recommended that the commission refrain from considering any cell tower-related applications until the county passes a new wireless communications ordinance.

Commission Chairman Rodney Lillard noted that the group’s July agenda did not include any of these types of requests. However, an application for a site plan for Verizon to construct a cell tower in Brightwood was postponed until the next regularly scheduled joint public hearing between the board of supervisors and the planning commission set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6.

(A related special use permit application to be considered by the board of supervisors was delayed until the August meeting as well. In June, the planning commission recommended that this special use permit application be denied.)

Earlier this year, a three-person committee – comprised of Commissioners Jacki Eisenberg, Ray Goodall and David Jones – met and discussed what types of guidelines should be included in a possible wireless communications ordinance, according to County Administrator Lisa Kelley.

The committee told Kelley they “liked the substance” of Louisa County’s existing telecommunications ordinance, she said.

Louisa County’s ordinance is designed to control where wireless communications facilities – including cell towers – can be located and what they can look like, according to a discussion draft document provided to Madison County’s planning commissioners.

This type of ordinance allows county supervisors to disapprove of an application on the grounds that its “aesthetic impact” – including its height, design and style – are unacceptable, according to the document.

It also includes restrictions of the towers’ maximum height, its location in regards to nearby scenic views and the towers’ visibility, including requirements that evergreen trees be planted near the structure, the document states.

The ordinance also allows its officials to require a third-party expert to review the wireless communications tower application (paid for by the applicant) and remove any cell tower-type structures no longer in use.

Madison County officials hope to take advantage of the legwork Louisa County’s government representatives have already done by using some of the concepts within its ordinance, which was developed by an outside consultant, according to Commissioner Eisenberg.

“We will be modifying it,” she told The Eagle in a July 3 phone interview.

One area the Madison County Planning Commission may revise is the ordinance’s height restrictions, Eisenberg said. The committee discussed requiring smaller towers, although this may result in a greater number of towers to provide the same extent of service, she said.

“For many people in the county that’s less objectionable than those tall towers,” Eisenberg told The Eagle.

The commission plans to meet in the near future to discuss the specifics of the wireless communications ordinance. Once the planning commission develops an ordinance specific to Madison County, it will recommend its consideration by the Madison County Board of Supervisors. The supervisors must then schedule a public hearing to receive public comment regarding this proposed ordinance before they vote on its approval.