American Tower plans to erect the 152-foot monopole tower on a 60-foot-square compound on McCaskill Road just west of N.C. 22 in a scenic area near Little River Farm golf course. The tract, owned by James B. Dixon, is located in an undeveloped rural area.
The February continuation of the hearing that began in December did not attract comments by opponents to the proposal. In December, owners of neighboring land expressed opposition, saying that the tower would mar the natural beauty of the area and have a negative impact on property values.
But what bothered board members at the December hearing was a series of gaps in information supplied by the applicant. They argued that there were too many unanswered questions and that the application was not complete. They also voiced concern about appearance.
“We have significantly exceeded the height, setback, landscaping and co-location requirements of the county ordinance,” said William Howard, a zoning specialist with American Tower.
Fills Gap
The tower is to serve Alltel and will be designed to fill a reception gap within an area bounded by Whispering Pines, Vass and Pinehurst.
Howard said the monopole would be designed to accommodate as many as three co-locator wireless telephone companies. He told the Planning Board that two other carriers have already expressed interest in co-locating on the tower.
Moore County’s zoning ordinance encourages co-location as a means of reducing the number of radio towers erected in an area.
“There is no endangerment to the public safety,” Howard continued. He said the tower compound would be protected by an 8-foot-high chain-link fence topped by another foot of barbed wire.
Appearance Addressed
In the interest of appearance, the tower is to be buffered by twice the amount of land required by the county ordinance, Howard reported. He said that the ordinance requires a setback of 75 percent of the tower height, which, in this case, would be 114 feet.
However, American Tower will provide a setback of 160 feet from the nearest property line and from McCaskill Road. Buffering will consist of both natural vegetation and landscaping, he added.
The Federal Aviation Administration has approved the tower and will not require marking or lighting, Howard told the board.
By comparison, the controversial tower near downtown Aberdeen is a 250-foot lattice-type tower, which is lighted. Howard said the McCaskill Road tower should not stir up the controversy that arose in Aberdeen several years ago.
“This is not what we are proposing here,” he said.
Howard said Alltel needs the tower to provide complete service to wireless telephone users in that particular area. He submitted a color-coded map showing the gaps in service for that area.
“We plan to mitigate the impact and maximize use of the facility,” he said.
Property owner Jim Dixon said he has no plans to develop property north of the site.
In answer to questions from the board, Dixon said a balloon elevation test was photographed on N.C. 22 at the intersection with Little River Farm Road. The test was conducted to illustrate the height of the tower and the impact it would have on the surrounding landscape.
Property Values Unaffected
Graham Herring, a property appraiser from Raleigh, said he had studied real estate in the area and had determined that the tower would not diminish the value of nearby properties.
Al Oct, an employee of Metrosite Management, said he concurs with American Tower’s report that existing towers do not meet the reception needs for that section of the county. Metrosite is the independent consulting firm that provides private engineering and assessment of wireless communications tower applications. The county engages the firm’s services, but the applicant pays the fees.
Concerns Raised
After hearing the additional information and discussing the issue about 90 minutes, the Planning Board voted unanimously to approve the American Tower permit. Terry Bryant made the motion for approval. Philip Brown made the second.
Although the vote was unanimous, not all board members were happy about the situation.
Harry Huberth admitted that he was troubled by the location. He expressed fear that the tower will indeed cause controversy because of the location. However, he agreed that the applicant had met all requirements.
After the vote, another board member, Tony Chriscoe, asked to go on record as opposing imposition of additional land buffering requirements that go beyond the county ordinance’s requirements.
A conditional use permit application requires that the Planning Board conduct a quasi-judicial type of public hearing. This means that the hearing is conducted in a style similar to a courtroom trial, with witnesses sworn to tell the truth and the board required to consider facts and information, not opinion.
For the first time Thursday night, the Planning Board had secured the services of a court stenographer to record the proceedings.
