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Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Silo Antenna Draws Opposition From Residents
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Loudoun News
()
Date: June 01, 2011 07:17AM
Silo Antenna Draws Opposition From Residents
Posted: May 31, 2011
http://www.leesburg2day.com/news/article_3e324c52-8bab-11e0-ab28-001cc4c03286.html
It is not uncommon for proposals to build cellular communications towers in western Loudoun to receive strong resistance from surrounding rural neighbors. Such is the case with the proposal from T-Mobile to build a 125-foot silo with an antenna on an almost 30-acre property along Lovettsville Road.
The problem, residents said during the Loudoun County Planning Commission's May 25 public hearing, was not that a telecommunications company wants to provide better service for customers. The objection is that the proposed silo sits four times the height of any silo in use for agricultural purpose and that it is completely in discord with their surrounding properties.
"A silo this big has enough storage to feed more than 300 cows over an entire year," Paul Brinegar, who lives to the south of the property, said. "It is enough for a 300-cow dairy farm. But the proposed silo is not sited on a commercial agricultural operation."
"Having a cell phone tower in itself is bad, but coming from a farming family I have never in my life seen a 125-foot silo," neighbor David Bennett said. "It looks like a missile launcher."
Residents also called into question the safety of such a structure located so close to their homes, and what it would do to the viewshed and property they have kept in agricultural use or easement. They said that the outreach from T-Mobile was minimal and the interests of the company are being considered over those of the residents.
"They said [125-feet] was necessary to meet the coverage that they wanted," resident Aaron Kahn said. "That is not the test, what T-Mobile wants. The test is compatibility."
There were questions raised about whether the tower was truly needed to provide better service, even though it is permitted in that area under the county's telecommunications plan.
"This is not among the preferred areas for siting telecommunication structures in Loudoun," neighbor Suzanne Wilcox said. "I believe this is really going to permanently disfigure the drive along Lovettsville Road going into town and out of town."
Wilcox also pointed to the small number of residents who attended the balloon fly at the site-used to determine the potential site impact to surrounding neighbors. She has since started an online petition that has garnered 65 signatures, she said-much more indicative of what she believes the true feeling about the silo is in the community.
"The letter of the law may have been achieved but I do not think the spirit of community engagement has been reached," she said.
The Planning Commission had a lot of questions about the proposal, namely whether T-Mobile could co-located on towers built by other telecommunication providers, and what would happen if the silo were shortened, but additional towers were added at the same location. The commission also said it wanted to see complete plans on what T-Mobile wants to do in Loudoun.
"We have been given dribs and drabs of what T-Mobile has planned, but I would like to see the more overall plan and the phasing they would like to see," Commissioner Gigi Robinson (Leesburg) said.
Similarly, commissioners asked for visual mapping of the coverage area at the 125-foot height as well as some decreased heights and what percentage the 13,000 dropped calls quoted by T-Mobile was of the total calls in the area.
Posted: May 31, 2011
http://www.leesburg2day.com/news/article_3e324c52-8bab-11e0-ab28-001cc4c03286.html
It is not uncommon for proposals to build cellular communications towers in western Loudoun to receive strong resistance from surrounding rural neighbors. Such is the case with the proposal from T-Mobile to build a 125-foot silo with an antenna on an almost 30-acre property along Lovettsville Road.
The problem, residents said during the Loudoun County Planning Commission's May 25 public hearing, was not that a telecommunications company wants to provide better service for customers. The objection is that the proposed silo sits four times the height of any silo in use for agricultural purpose and that it is completely in discord with their surrounding properties.
"A silo this big has enough storage to feed more than 300 cows over an entire year," Paul Brinegar, who lives to the south of the property, said. "It is enough for a 300-cow dairy farm. But the proposed silo is not sited on a commercial agricultural operation."
"Having a cell phone tower in itself is bad, but coming from a farming family I have never in my life seen a 125-foot silo," neighbor David Bennett said. "It looks like a missile launcher."
Residents also called into question the safety of such a structure located so close to their homes, and what it would do to the viewshed and property they have kept in agricultural use or easement. They said that the outreach from T-Mobile was minimal and the interests of the company are being considered over those of the residents.
"They said [125-feet] was necessary to meet the coverage that they wanted," resident Aaron Kahn said. "That is not the test, what T-Mobile wants. The test is compatibility."
There were questions raised about whether the tower was truly needed to provide better service, even though it is permitted in that area under the county's telecommunications plan.
"This is not among the preferred areas for siting telecommunication structures in Loudoun," neighbor Suzanne Wilcox said. "I believe this is really going to permanently disfigure the drive along Lovettsville Road going into town and out of town."
Wilcox also pointed to the small number of residents who attended the balloon fly at the site-used to determine the potential site impact to surrounding neighbors. She has since started an online petition that has garnered 65 signatures, she said-much more indicative of what she believes the true feeling about the silo is in the community.
"The letter of the law may have been achieved but I do not think the spirit of community engagement has been reached," she said.
The Planning Commission had a lot of questions about the proposal, namely whether T-Mobile could co-located on towers built by other telecommunication providers, and what would happen if the silo were shortened, but additional towers were added at the same location. The commission also said it wanted to see complete plans on what T-Mobile wants to do in Loudoun.
"We have been given dribs and drabs of what T-Mobile has planned, but I would like to see the more overall plan and the phasing they would like to see," Commissioner Gigi Robinson (Leesburg) said.
Similarly, commissioners asked for visual mapping of the coverage area at the 125-foot height as well as some decreased heights and what percentage the 13,000 dropped calls quoted by T-Mobile was of the total calls in the area.