Cell tower developer CitySwitch specializes in erecting structures on railroad land. While capitalizing on right-of-way property streamlines construction, it also presents possible cell tower locations that worry nearby neighbors. As SaportaReport.com reports, plans to build a 166-foot cell tower within view of Atlanta, GA’s Oakland Cemetery have some residents up in arms.
Historic Oakland Foundation owner and manager Richard Harker notes that his organization has not been contacted by CitySwitch. “We are disappointed about their lack of community engagement and very concerned about the visual impact the tower will have given its proposed location directly next to Oakland’s walls,” he noted.
The old burial ground hosts concerts, art events, and weddings and serves as a green space and gathering place for local residents. It, like Reconstruction era Fulton Cotton Mill Lofts, is part of the Cabbagetown section of the city and is on the historical register. This status will subject CitySwitch plans to additional review, but opponents fear that it will not be enough to halt cell tower development, reports SaportaReport.com.
“It takes an especially myopic drone to glance at the nook between two historic landmarks and soullessly muster the thought, ‘Perfect!’” said John Dirga, the secretary of Neighborhood Planning Unit N and the NPU representative for the Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association.
Although another detractor described the proposed cell tower as an Eiffel Tower with blinking lights, it does not appear that there are plans to put lights on the structure. CitySwitch plans indicate that it envisions a 155-foot monopole with a 10-foot lightning rod occupying a fenced section of CSX railroad property roughly 200 feet away from cemetery boundaries. For perspective, note that with its antenna, the Eiffel Tower stands over 1,000 feet tall.
Environmental consulting firm RESCOM has reviewed the plans and approved them. “Urban development, foliage, and topography will reduce visibility of the tower from historic sites within the APE [area of potential effect], and the tower will be similar in design to existing telecommunications towers visible from within the APE,” RESCOM says in the report. “Therefore, the proposed project has no effect to historic properties located within the indirect Visual APE.”
“I find it fascinating where we bury our dead and honor those gone before is now known as a buffer,” APE Leader Mitchell told SaportaReport.com. “Atlanta is not just a place for anyone to come and make money. Atlanta is a place where people come to be part of something that you can’t experience anywhere else in this country. And it’s our culture and our identity that we are fighting tooth and nail to preserve.”
Final approval has not yet been granted. However, since CitySwitch has plans to build additional cell towers along railway lines in Atlanta, the decision will impact further cell tower development and cityscapes in Atlanta.
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