Telecom tower proposal near Erie airport tabled after pilots and airport raise safety concerns

Guardian Towers’ proposal for a monopole wireless tower on township property near the Walmart/airport area drew heavy technical opposition from the local aviation community and the Erie Airport, prompting the Millcreek Township Zoning Hearing Board to table the appeal.

Ron Gaynor, president of Guardian Towers, described a lease with the township and said the firm reduced a prior 150‑ft design to a 96‑ft monopole to comply with zoning. He said the site minimizes tree removal and that carriers would co‑locate where feasible. "We were initially gonna propose a 150 foot [tower] ... After we looked through more zoning regulations, we had to lower that tower due to zoning regs to 96 feet," Gaynor said.

But pilots and flight instructors from the local school presented charts and argued the proposed site falls beneath the standard traffic pattern for Runway 6 and that its proximity could be a visual distraction for student pilots and visiting crews. "When you make this turn, all of a sudden you're gonna be looking at a tower," one instructor said, arguing that distractions, combined with altimeter variation and approach tolerances, could produce an "unstabilized approach." An airport representative, Derek Martin, told the board he had not been contacted by the FAA and raised discrepancies in the developer’s submissions (ground elevation and top‑of‑tower elevations) and flagged the need for a Part 77 airspace review.

Guardian Towers said it had previously received an FAA finding at a taller height and would refile at the proposed height; the developer offered to supply propagation maps, engineering certifications and a co‑location commitment and said it would not advance construction without FAA confirmation. The applicant agreed to provide documentation and a letter to allow the board to pause adjudicative deadlines.

Given the technical disputes and the airport’s request for direct FAA dialogue, the board recorded that it would table the application "until 30 days after the FAA approval" and directed the solicitor to secure waivers on zoning hearing time frames so the board can wait for the FAA report.

What happens next: Guardian Towers will reapply to the FAA at the proposed height and supply the board with the FAA determination and engineering documentation; the board will revisit the application after the FAA and airport coordinate and the solicitor secures the necessary waivers.