A Roanoke Rapids businessman will explore options after his request for a special use permit to put up a tower for better U.S. Cellular service failed to pass at tonight’s city council meeting.

The process that would have allowed the phone company to build a 120-foot tower at the rear of David King’s Interstate Storage business on Jackson Street sailed through the first two phases as council affirmed questions associated with the proposal’s compliance with city regulations.

It was during the third phase of the process, questions associated with whether the project would endanger the public health or safety, that the quest for the permit stalled. A motion on the first question, the one about public health and safety, failed to garner a second and left the matter dead.

Unless there is compelling evidence otherwise, King cannot come back with another request until after a year.

The consideration of the matter came after a public hearing in which several residents spoke.

While a few wanted to know how the tower would affect their own wireless devices — the tower is governed by Federal Communications Commission — many spoke on the state of King’s property away from the proposed location of the tower, which is the old Roanoke No. 2 plant.

Steve Hill, who lives in the 600 block of Monroe Street, said the property has been an eyesore for many years. “I’m not sure of his integrity,” he said of King. “When I look out my front window I will be looking right into it. I can’t see where it would be good for my property value.”

Hill’s wife, Connie, said she had the same concerns. “I’ve been looking at that property for quite some time.”

Mrs. Hill said the building can be entered at any time and there is a container which fills with water. “I’m not against cell phone towers. I don’t want to look at it. When the cotton mill operated it was never like that.”

Jessie Bass, who lives in the 500 block of Jackson Street, who first talked about the integrity of his wireless system, also talked about the state of the building. “Two months ago my 2 ½ -year-old grandson said, ‘That building is broken, you need to fix it.’ He saw a little broken in on a smaller place and said, ‘I’ll fix that.’ If a 2-year-old can see that, I think something needs to be done about it.”

King, when speaking during the public hearing, said the only thing at issue was the cell phone tower and not the building itself, which was addressed by council in March.

King said the permit addresses a 100-feet by 100-feet space at the back of his property by the railroad tracks. The tower would serve a dead area in that part of town where there is a hole in data transmission.

King said every other place in the area was investigated but was not suitable. “There are no lights and they may just need a single pole. U.S. Cellular would have to meet FCC regulations … It’s just a tower on the back of the property by the train tracks.”

After the matter died, King, outside the Lloyd Andrews City Meeting Hall, said he would be meeting with U.S. Cellular and exploring other options.

King said the tower would have been a way for people who can’t afford or don’t have computers to access the Internet by phone. “Children could access their homework through them.”

King said he believed council acted on the arguments of the building rather than information delivered on the tower itself. “That should be a separate issue.”

Councilwoman Carol Cowen said following the meeting said she believed the matter with the building should be taken care of first.