Audio clip
Larry Wells
Dreams of a revitalized Main Street Arts District could be thwarted if a proposed cell tower is approved, according to residents and developers in the Chattanooga neighborhood.
“We’ve kind of battled the odds here in this neighborhood and got a lot of people to invest in it,” said artist Terry Cannon, who owns two pieces of property on either side of where the cell tower could go up. “It’s just not the best location.”
Yet officials at Wireless Properties LLC said the tower is not unsightly and is intended to extend cell phone coverage to area residents.
“It’s growth and development that drives the need for these towers,” said G. Larry Wells, president of Wireless Properties.
The 180-foot cell tower would sit on a piece of property at the corner of Washington Street and Rossville Avenue just south of Main Street, Mr. Wells said, though it could be months before the company gets all of the approvals necessary to build the tower.
Company officials have gone before the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals seeking approval for the cell tower. Residents and developers expressed their concerns the tower would be detrimental to the area’s revitalization. Approval was delayed 30 days so the tower permit could be reviewed by the Historic Zoning Commission.
Chattanooga developer Tag Bailey owns the property where the tower would sit, and said Friday he is unaware the district’s residents were upset.
“I don’t want to hurt anybody,” he said. “It’s just a business deal.”
People such as Mr. Cannon and others who have invested in the area said the district has come a long way in recent years, attracting new businesses and a number of residential developments.
He said the tower would go in the middle of new projects “where people are fighting against the odds” to bring the neighborhood back.
Mr. Wells said he’s willing to work with residents in the district to address their concerns, such as keeping it less than 180 feet or painting the tower brown. The tower would cost $150,000 to $200,000 and would provide signals for all major cellular services, he said.
While the zoning board told officials of Wireless Properties they were required to have the approval of the commission, that’s a step Mr. Wells contests. He said he is not required to have that approval and has submitted a letter asking the city attorney to show proof that it is a requirement necessary for approval.
If the tower is approved by the zoning commission, it would go back to the Board of Zoning Appeals for approval.
What’s Next
The permit for the proposed cell tower is to go under review by the Historic Zoning Commission. If approved by that panel, the project would go back to the Board of Zoning Appeals for approval.
