WILMINGTON — New Hanover County Commissioners approved a special use permit during their Monday night meeting to allow for the construction of a 185-foot telecommunications tower in the Northchase Commerce Park, against the recommendations of county staff.
There are four specific criteria that have to be met in order to approve the special use permit, and staff concluded that the second requirement, “Use meets all required condition and specifications for the zoning ordinance.”
The matter was originally heard in July 2016 by the Planning Board and it was scheduled to move to the Board of Commissioners in August 2016, but was continued several times, current Planning and Zoning Supervisor Ben Andrea said.
At the July meeting of the Planning Board, the members voted unanimously to approve the special use permit, and nobody spoke in opposition to the tower’s construction.
The site location is currently vacant and located near Olsen Park. The tower is proposed to be a 185-foot monopole tower that can carry at least five cellular providers, Andrea said.
According to the county’s staff, the ordinance requires that the colocation on an existing tower or structure is not possible or reasonable, something that was not provided to the Planning Department at the time of submittal.
Currently, the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) maintains a water tower in the area that does not serve any purpose other than housing antennas for cellular providers. CFPUA maintains the water tower to honor its contract with T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon until the lease expires in 2033.
According to the applicant, the relocation of antennas to the water tower would not be possible without significant upgrades to the infrastructure.
During the public hearing, which was quasi-judicial, representatives from two of the three current cellular providers spoke in favor of the construction of a new tower. Attorney Joe Taylor presented evidence to the board showing that the current tower struggles to provide services to its current customers and adding additional carriers would require significant financial investment.
After a nearly one-hour long question and answer session from the Board of Commissioners, approval was eventually granted after the board was convinced the request did in fact meet all four requirements for a special use permit.
Michael Praats can be reached at Michael.p@localvoicemedia.com
