North Carolina Court Upholds Tower Permit

In Durham, North Carolina, three judges of the North Carolina Court of Appeals have refused to block the construction of the proposed Sprint cell tower. The judges issued their ruling on Tuesday upsetting eight homeowners who believe the tower’s height will make it distinguishable as a tower instead of the tree it will be concealed as. Durham law demands that cell towers placed in residential areas be disguised for aesthetic appeal. Judge Linda Stephens, who was on the panel that review the case, wants to know who the tower will be identifiable to. Of course, the homeowners who know what it is will be aware of the structure, but a passerby may not even notice it. (Side note: This really is true. I drove past a monopine every day for a year before I realized it was there, and I write about cell towers for a living.) Sprint is hoping to improve network coverage in the area, and agreed to disguise the tower as the city encouraged concealment. The city recently changed their guidelines to require this of cell towers.