Drake Brinkley, an attorney representing the company, said afterward he could not immediately determine how much extra the stipulations added by council would increase the cost of the project. Construction is expected to start in September or October.
Michael Doran, a representative of the company, said the company has constructed asphalt access roads in the past.
The decision to grant the permit came after lengthy discussion by council during a public hearing on the matter. No one from the public spoke against the proposal.
Most of council’s discussion centered on the access road and aesthetics of the surrounding area.
Councilman Wayne Smith was the first to indicate concessions would have to be made before the panel moved forward with the project. “Before we approve it, I’d like to see the road be asphalt. It ought to be in compliance with everything out there.”
Mayor Emery Doughtie told Brinkley and Doran, “We don’t want to be anti-business, but we don’t want it to detract from the businesses out there.”
Councilman Carl Ferebee suggested the vegetative cover around the building.
The requirement to pave the access road went against the grain of what Public Works Director Larry Chalker recommended. “Our land use ordinance talks about impervious conditions. We prefer we don’t pave anything unless we have to.”
Brinkley told council the tower is designed to fill coverage and capacity gaps in the area and there was no suitable property anywhere else in the immediate area to construct it. “It will have co-locators on it so other companies could place their material on it and decrease the number of towers needed.”
While there would be essentially no traffic to the access road, Doran told council, “Whatever you guys want we will do it.”
Because he is an adjoining property owner and the tower will be constructed behind his law office, City Attorney Gilbert Chichester recused himself from the proceedings and had longtime attorney Charles Vaughan of Northampton County preside over the matter.
When Chichester was asked to discuss the matter, he told council he bought his property when there was nothing built out that way. He built his new law office in the area because he was sure it would be an asset to the community. “I was thoroughly disgusted a cell tower was coming out there, but I’m a realist.”
Changes in the law, he said, make it difficult to restrict cell phone towers. He said other business owners in the area, which include New Day Fitness and Creekside Animal Hospital, did not attend the meeting because they said they would follow his lead.
Chichester said he would prefer to see the access road paved. “I think it ought to be in conformity with the community out there.”
Rezoning
In another matter this evening, council unanimously approved the rezoning of 1.9 acres of land located at Highway 48 and Smith Church Road.
A light commercial business in line with Family Dollar is expected to build on the property.
