Elbert County panel to weigh 110-foot telecommunications tower near Elizabeth
Anthemnet proposes the tower on an agricultural parcel to expand wireless coverage and support emergency 911 service, with hearings scheduled for Sept. 22 and Oct. 14.
The Elbert County Planning Commission is scheduled to consider a proposed 110-foot telecommunications tower near Elizabeth on Sept. 22, followed by a Board of County Commissioners hearing on Oct. 14.
Anthemnet would own the unmanned tower, and Q3 Consulting is listed as the applicant for the project at 44502 County Road 29, on the Silver Buckle Ranch property. The proposal is intended to expand wireless coverage and support emergency 911 service for residents, businesses, visitors and travelers, according to the county staff report.
The tower would occupy a roughly 2,500-square-foot leased area within a 74-acre agricultural parcel. Plans call for a 110-foot self-supporting monopine tower with antennas, a windmill, equipment and an access drive, enclosed by a six-foot solid faux-wood fence. The applicant estimates about two maintenance visits per month.
The application does not seek a zoning change, but the tower requires a Special Use by Review on land zoned Agriculture. That review will consider whether the telecommunications use meets the county’s special-use and antenna standards and other land-use requirements.
The Planning Commission agenda lists the Sept. 22 matter as a public hearing, with staff and applicant presentations, public testimony, rebuttal, commission discussion and a roll-call vote. The hearing has not yet occurred, and the Oct. 14 county commissioners hearing is also still pending.
At an April community meeting, three attendees asked about radio-frequency exposure, how the location was selected and the need for service in the area. The applicant agreed to submit an electromagnetic-emissions report as part of the application, according to the community meeting notes. The supplied records do not include that report or county confirmation of its submission.
County staff reported no outstanding objections from several reviewing agencies, including the Sheriff’s Office, Public Works, the health department, the Elizabeth Park and Recreation District and the Colorado Division of Water Resources. Those responses are part of the review process and do not represent approval. CORE Electric Cooperative required utility easements before construction of electric facilities, according to the first referral review.
If the project is recommended for approval, the staff report lists potential conditions including applicable fees, removal of public-notice signs within one week, recording the Special Use by Review exhibit within 180 days of county commissioners’ approval and submitting a construction-cost statement within 45 days of approval or before work begins. Those conditions have not been adopted.