Sumner County panel approves special exception for proposed wireless tower on Highway 109

The Sumner County Board of County Appeals on April 9 approved a special exception request allowing Towers LLC to pursue construction of a wireless communications monopole at 2980–2992 Highway 109 in Portland.

County planning staff member Sydney summarized the application, saying the 14.68-acre parcel (Tax Map 59, Parcel 87.11) is in the rural-preservation district and that the company seeks a monopole roughly 195 feet tall (about 199 feet including the lightning rod). Staff told the board the project had been approved by the BCA in 2020 but that approval lapsed in 2022, requiring the applicant to return for a new exception.

Sydney said the application includes an engineer's fall-zone analysis showing a roughly 135-foot radius that clears nearby buildings, FAA clearance documentation, and a plan for a 2,500-square-foot equipment compound. She told the board the applicant had proposed Leland cypress trees for screening and that the zoning code requires an 8-foot perimeter fence (the applicant's initial submittal showed 6 feet and agreed to provide documentation meeting the 8-foot standard). "The federal government has determined that there are no such impacts" from radio-frequency emissions that the county may lawfully consider, Sydney said while summarizing legal constraints under the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996.

During the public hearing the applicant, Clark Davidson of Decatur, Georgia, said he would supply a corrected fence cut sheet and a shared-use letter from Towers LLC committing to allow future tenants to colocate. "I will have the Towers LLC provide a shared-use letter stating that they are willing to allow other tenants onto this tower," Davidson said, adding that Verizon Wireless is the current lessee and that the company hopes to attract providers such as AT&T and T-Mobile.

A board member moved to approve the staff-recommended motion: approval of the special exception conditioned on site-plan approval by Sumner County planning staff, an 8-foot fence meeting county specifications, a shared-use plan, and any required land-disturbance and building permits; the motion was seconded and carried with no recorded roll-call. The board closed the public hearing and directed the applicant to submit the required site-plan materials and updated engineered fall-zone documentation if additional collocators are added.

The approval does not itself grant building permits or site-plan clearance; those remain subject to staff review and permitting. The applicant must submit the revised fence specification and shared-use documentation as part of the next steps.