Commissioners approve 239-foot lattice tower rezoning on Blacksburg Road; FAA clearance cited
February 07, 2024 | Cleveland County, North Carolina
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
The Cleveland County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved planning case 24-03 on Feb. 6, rezoning a portion of Parcel 5272 at 2941 Blacksburg Road to permit construction of a lattice-style telecommunications tower for Verizon Wireless and future carriers.
Planning Director Chris Barton said the parcel is approximately 40 acres in a rural area just north of the South Carolina state line. The petitioner, Southern Towers, proposed a 230-foot lattice tower with a 9-foot lightning rod for a total structure height of 239 feet; staff noted the site is rural with large surrounding tracts and the planning board recommended approval.
Ralph Weingarten, representing Southern Towers, said Verizon would be the anchor tenant and the site is designed to accept three additional carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, DISH Network or others). He also noted the FAA issued a determination of no hazard to air navigation on Oct. 18, 2023 (aeronautical study referenced in the hearing).
Commissioners questioned why a lattice self-support design was used rather than a monopole; Weingarten explained monopoles are generally limited to roughly 200 feet and lattice designs are common above that height. He also said a fall-zone analysis was not presented because the tower’s layout kept any potential collapse within the parcel; the petitioner said they had completed the FAA process.
A motion to approve planning case 24-03 was offered, seconded and passed unanimously.
Next steps: rezoning approval allows the petitioner to pursue permitting and FAA/FAA-related coordination already completed will factor into final permitting and construction scheduling.
Planning Director Chris Barton said the parcel is approximately 40 acres in a rural area just north of the South Carolina state line. The petitioner, Southern Towers, proposed a 230-foot lattice tower with a 9-foot lightning rod for a total structure height of 239 feet; staff noted the site is rural with large surrounding tracts and the planning board recommended approval.
Ralph Weingarten, representing Southern Towers, said Verizon would be the anchor tenant and the site is designed to accept three additional carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, DISH Network or others). He also noted the FAA issued a determination of no hazard to air navigation on Oct. 18, 2023 (aeronautical study referenced in the hearing).
Commissioners questioned why a lattice self-support design was used rather than a monopole; Weingarten explained monopoles are generally limited to roughly 200 feet and lattice designs are common above that height. He also said a fall-zone analysis was not presented because the tower’s layout kept any potential collapse within the parcel; the petitioner said they had completed the FAA process.
A motion to approve planning case 24-03 was offered, seconded and passed unanimously.
Next steps: rezoning approval allows the petitioner to pursue permitting and FAA/FAA-related coordination already completed will factor into final permitting and construction scheduling.
View the Full Meeting & All Its Details
This article offers just a summary. Unlock complete video, transcripts, and insights as a Founder Member.
✓
Watch full, unedited meeting videos
✓
Search every word spoken in unlimited transcripts
✓
AI summaries & real-time alerts (all government levels)
✓
Permanent access to expanding government content
30-day money-back guarantee
