Catoosa County rejects cell tower

A cellphone tower is not going up near Cloud Springs Road.

The Catoosa County Commission unanimously voted to reject Gulfsouth Towers’ request to build a 160-foottall hulk of metal about a mile south of Costco. T-Mobile wanted to use the location to boost coverage in the region, said Doria Durham, an agent with Gulfsouth Towers.

However, the property is located within 1,000 feet of some homes, a violation of the county’s code for cellphone towers. Also, the tower would be taller than 100 feet, the limit for such a structure in a residential area.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Commission Chairman Steve Henry asked if anybody opposed putting a tower there. Three people raised their hands, though they declined to speak to the commission.

Gulfsouth Towers, a Louisiana company that builds infrastructure for wireless systems, first approached the county’s planning commission about putting a tower there in September. At the time, the company wanted to build one 250 feet tall.

Chris Bean, the company’s president, said taller towers provide coverage to a larger area. It also allows the company to sign contracts with more major cell service providers. The planning commission tabled the company’s initial request.

Gulfsouth Towers returned to the commission Nov. 28, asking to build a tower 160 feet tall. Some residents protested the plan, Catoosa County Zoning Administrator James Davis said, and the planning commission voted against the company.

“The tower would not be in the best interest of the County at this particular location,” Davis wrote in an email, summarizing the planning commission’s reasoning.

On Tuesday, Durham asked the county commission to override the planning commission. She said the tower will be next to a pair of water tanks and among 90-foot-tall trees. In most areas, people will not be able to see the tower, she said.

The company also offered to paint the structure, trying to make it look like a pine tree.

T-Mobile wants the tower there because it is changing its system and needs new antennas the current location cannot hold. Davis said T-Mobile previously used TVA power lines across the street.

“New technology is coming your way,” Durham told the commissioners. “Over the next couple of years, more services will be available. It’s very important that the infrastructure is there to support it.”