Elizabethton Board of Zoning Appeals denies request for telecommunications tower
Published 9:45 am Friday, July 7, 2023
- Star Photo/Robert Sorrell Michael Sandifer from the Vogue Towers is pictured speaking to the board.
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BY ROBERT SORRELL
Star Correspondent
The Elizabethton Board of Zoning Appeals on Thursday denied requests from a Chattanooga-based company that wants to build a telecommunications tower near downtown.
Vogue Towers, a wireless infrastructure company that has built more than 5,000 towers, had sought a variance request regarding setbacks and a special exception request for a property at North Pine Street and Armed Forces Drive.
The company wishes to install a 120-foot-tall monopole telephone microwave tower at the site. In order to build the tower, Vogue requested a change in setback requirements for the property.
After hearing input from Vogue’s attorney, Bradley Davis, and Vogue official, Michael Sandifer, as well as two concerned citizens, the board unanimously denied the variance request and the special exception request.
The city’s planning director, Logan Engle, had recommended the board deny the requests and said the company did not meet the threshold for approval. Engle said she had heard from several nearby property owners, including business owners and residents, who were concerned about the proposed tower. During the meeting, Engle also shared a written letter and petition against the tower from citizens.
Board member Bill Schooley said he was especially concerned about the “fall zone” for the tower. He said he was not comfortable with a mathematical formula that Vogue had shared with the board regarding the “fall zone” area.
Sandifer said it is extremely rare for such a tower to fall and that he had never had one fall. He said one along the coast had withstood the record-breaking winds of Hurricane Michael.
If the tower were to fall, Sandifer told board members that it would fall in such a way that it would stay within the proposed “fall zone,” which would be created by the requested setback variance. A 42-foot radius is all that is needed for a “fall zone,” Sandifer said.
Schooley and other board members, however, questioned whether that was accurate and said they were concerned about its proximity to nearby homes, a daycare, and other businesses.
If constructed, the Vogue officials told the board that Verizon Wireless would be a tenant carrier and provide better service for Elizabethton. They said the tower would fill a gap in service coverage in the area. Additional carriers could be added later.
Verizon did not apply for the zoning appeal.
Chairwoman Dena Bass questioned the officials about information provided to the board, particularly a map that showed other potential sites.
The Vogue officials said there appeared to be some confusion about documents they had provided.
Davis told the board to not rely on a report that had been filed by a city-hired expert on the proposed tower. Board members replied saying they had no reason to not rely on the report.
The attorney also repeatedly informed the board about a federal statute that mandates how a municipality can consider telecommunications infrastructure and zoning requests. The city cannot deny a tower based on “radio frequency” concerns, he said.
Board member Bill Taylor made the motion to deny the requests. The board unanimously agreed and denied the company’s plans.
The board previously denied requests from the company to install a similar tower on Lynn Avenue.
Vogue also has previously filed a federal lawsuit against the city regarding its proposed tower, but the parties agreed to dismiss the case.
