Chickasha City Says A-OK to New Cell Tower

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Branch Communications was awarded a special use permit by the Chickasha City Council after overcoming a challenge by 8th Street neighbors. As the Express-Star reports, the Oklahoma community first proposed the cell tower last May, but encountered resistance from some residents who were unhappy with the site selected.

“If we’re going to modernize, if we’re going to get where we need to be, we need to move forward with something that has a lot of precedent set in support of it,” said Chickasha City Manager, Tyler Brooks. Brooks said he understood why some people did not like the City’s Council’s decision, but added that there were good reasons to continue. First, he noted the poor reception in the area that would be corrected by the new cell tower. He added that a legal fight was also likely to be both costly and unproductive.

Brooks explained that there are no city ordinances in place to give Chickasha City any traction against Branch Communications. Precedents suggest that a lawsuit would favor the Telecommunications Act of 1996, he said, and city finances would be better spent elsewhere.

During the city council meeting, Branch Communications said that other sites had been considered, but that the 520 S. 8th Street location was the only one that checked all the boxes. Attorney David Box, representing the telecom, confirmed that, “It is a matter of law that generalized concerns about negative impacts upon aesthetics or property values cannot be considered substantial evidence to support the denial of an application for permit to construct wireless service facilities.”

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