For the third time in two years, the Village Board of Cary, IL denied T-Mobile’s request for a conditional use permit for a tower on Route 14, hindering improvements to cell service in the area. According to the Northwest Herald, Cary’s codes forbid any structure over 35 feet, and PI Telecom Infrastructure T LLC has repeatedly altered its plans for the monopole to try to get the city’s approval.
The first request, issued in February 2016, for a 150-foot antenna, was unanimously rejected, so the next proposal in June 2016, decreased the antenna’s height to 100 feet. When that proposal was also rejected, PI Telecom modified the proposal to include an upgraded shelter and a smaller footprint of the service area, though the proposed height remained at 100 feet. PI Telecom Attorney Rod Carter explained other potential concessions to the Northwest Herald.“We’d be willing to install additional landscaping or do other things relative to the grounds,” Carter said.
Further complicating the stalemate, trustees have also resisted exploring alternative sites for the tower, such as a school or the nearby ComEd building. Brian Simmons, Cary’s community development director, said erecting the tower on school property would be prohibited by the city’s zoning restrictions. According to the Northwest Herald, Village Board Trustee Ellen McAlpine told Carter that ComEd would likely not want the tower placed on their right-of-way either. ComEd has not yet responded to Carter’s requests to consider allowing the monopole installation on its property.
February 13, 2018
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