Plans for a new cell tower on Stone Dam Road have been thwarted by the Greene County Board of Zoning Appeals. The Chuckey, TN site had been singled out by Verizon Wireless as a potential host site, but local legislators denied the request based on their interpretation of variance and setback limitations, according to the Greeneville Sun.
The Greene County Building and Planning Office had previously determined not to allow the use of an “engineered fall zone” for the cell tower project, a decision which the Greene County Board of Zoning Appeals upheld. An additional request for front, left side and right side setback variances was also denied. The Board ruled the requests did not fall within the parameters of the Greene County Zoning Resolution.
Provisions of the Green County Zoning Resolution concern regulations for structures inside the setback requirement area. Only support buildings for the tower are allowed inside the designated area. Allowances could be considered for a clear fall zone less than setback requirements, if a licensed engineer signs off on the setback.
The Board based its decision on its belief that the intent of the regulations was to allow the fall zone for placement of the structures within the setback area. The request did not factor in the entirety of the tower, nullifying the setbacks meant to both block noise and eyesore, but more importantly, the danger of a falling tower.
Verizon countered with the suggestion that the engineered fall zone could be flexed to encompass setbacks that would meet requirements. If the setbacks were decreased to almost 147 feet in the front, they argued, they would gain up to 160 feet on the right side and 143 feet on the left. The Board ultimately decided another location on the property would be better suited to site the cell tower.
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