CLEVELAND, Tenn.-The Cleveland Municipal Planning Commission voted 7-1 this week to approve, with a few stipulations, conceptual plans for a Verizon Wireless cell tower downtown.
The proposed 80-foot tower, to be located at the Peerless Communications Facility at 1455 Stuart Ave. NW, still faces concerns regarding zoning regulations and visibility. The planning commission requires those issues be resolved before granting final approval.
“We are voting on a concept, not looking at a design,” said City Councilman David May, the only planning commissioner to vote against the cell tower plan.
The planned placement is at odds with a zoning ordinance that requires it to be at least 240 feet from property boundaries, according to Cleveland Community Development Director Greg Thomas. The distance is based on three times the structure’s height, per zoning requirements.
Verizon needs the 80-foot tower to better serve an increasing amount of local cell phone traffic and personal data device usage, said Philip Head, a Nashville real estate attorney representing the company.