Indiana-based ISP, MetroNet, received a special use permit last week for the construction of a 70-foot cell tower in Ames, Iowa. The approved tower is part of MetroNet’s near $30 million infrastructure investment in Ames.
“The focus of the special use permit is a review of the tower in relation to the proposed site improvements and the surrounding area,” said Ray Anderson, City Planner, at last Thursday’s zoning board meeting. “I mentioned the tower is 70 feet tall, it’s a monopole … and there are four antennas on the top.”
The Ames Tribune reported the new tower will be constructed on a 7,868 square foot former water-boosting property that MetroNet purchased from the city. The site will include a utility hut to serve as the center for the company’s fiber internet service operations and to house additional telecom equipment. According to Govtech.com, the transfer of the property was contingent upon MetroNet recording a right-of-way acquisition plat and granting easements to the city at the time of the sale.
″[What] we wanted to highlight is that the applicant is proposing to meet code with paved access to the site and they are planning for two possible shelters or huts,” said Kelly Diekmann, director of planning said during Tuesday’s Ames City Council meeting. “The first phase would be to construct one and then have the ability to construct a second one in the future as needed.”
MetroNet finalized plans with the city of Ames late last year for an estimated $25 to $30 million fiber-optic internet infrastructure buildout that is projected to be complete in 2022. The company began construction earlier this month and is currently installing cable underground and on overhead poles in various coverage areas.
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