July 11. By Dave Vieser. A 190-foot, free-standing cell phone tower has been proposed for the southwest corner of the Grace Covenant Church property on Hwy. 21 in Cornelius. The tower, to be built by Monroe, La.-based Vanguard Associates, would be built on a 3,300 square foot section of the church property, behind Home Depot, and just east of I-77.

In order for the tower to be built, the church must first obtain a change in zoning, from civic/institutional to conditional. “The conversion of the church property to a conditional zoning district, while continuing to allow the civic/institutional use, is appropriate for compatibility with the town’s Land Development Code and Land Use Plan,” said Cornelius Planning Director Wayne Herron. The matter will be considered by the town planning board on Monday evening July 11, and if it passes, the full town board at their August 15 meeting.

According to the FCC, the increased use of wireless devices has led to increased demand for faster, more powerful data networks. Each cell phone tower has a limited number of calls that it can handle at one time, so more and more towers and antennas must be built. There is no more available cell phone tower space on the high voltage power transmission poles in the area.