Planners Refine Tower Proposal

In Tennessee, the Sweetwater Regional Planning Commission approved minor language changes to an ordinance concerning communications towers. The language was designed to keep towers out of the Main Street District, and the City Commission will still need to approve the proposed ordinance before it becomes law. County officials have explained many times to planning and city commissioners that they cannot outlaw towers, but they can establish an ordinance that provides guidelines on where they may be located. A few companies have tried to place towers as close to the downtown area as possible for extra capacity, but city officials don’t want a tower in the area. The new ordinance limits towers to 200 feet, and must be a single pole placed on publicly owned land or land this is commercially or publicly zoned.  Each tower request must come before the Planning Commission under the guidelines of the proposed ordinance.