The telecommunications tower Gunter planners will weigh at a public hearing Tuesday would be a 155-foot galvanized steel monopole on city land set aside for a future fire station, and the company proposing it is working for Verizon, according to the city's agenda packet.
The Planning and Zoning Commission meets in special session at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, at the Gunter Public Safety Building, 105 N. Fourth St. Commissioners will hold the hearing on a specific use permit for the tower and then vote on a recommendation. The site sits in an agricultural zoning district on the north side of FM 121, east of J.C. Maples Road.
What the staff report says
Hemphill Towers submitted the application. The staff report, presented by Eric Wilhite, Gunter's director of planning and development, says the company has been contracted by Verizon to bring fiber conduit to the right of way, and that Verizon will pick the backhaul provider once the tower stands.
Other details from the report:
- The parcel is bordered on the north and east by utility infrastructure, and the steel finish was chosen to blend in with it.
- The nearest home or residential zoning line is 388 feet, 4 inches away, according to the site drawings.
- Hemphill has no towers in Gunter or within a mile, and no registered towers are within a mile of the site.
- The pole would be engineered to fall within a radius shorter than its height, and to carry multiple antenna setups. The company said it is open to talking with the city about adding public safety communication equipment.
- The city attorney and Hemphill have reviewed a draft lease, but the council will not authorize it for signature until zoning is complete. Structural engineering plans come later, with building permit applications.
