What the proposed cell tower would look like

Dec. 18. By Dave Vieser. Monday evening is “last call” for residents to comment on a proposal to erect a 199-foot cell phone tower near Jetton Road. The Cornelius Planning Board passed the issue on to the Town Board last month, narrowly recommending approval of the tower in a 4-3 vote.

The public hearing Dec. 21 will begin at 6 pm. Residents can attend in person at Town Hall to comment or send their comments via email to the Town Board. (TownofCornelius@cornelius.org). A final decision on the controversial proposal is expected on Jan. 4.

Opposition from commissioner

“For the record, I am solidly opposed to this tower at this location,” Commissioner Jim Duke said earlier this month. “Surely there are other less intrusive locations.” The tower would replace a much smaller tower adjacent to the Lake Norman Cove at Jetton neighborhood near Jetton Park.

DUKE

The proposal for the new cell phone tower, which would be 84 feet higher than the existing structure, was submitted by Florida based PeakNet.

Opposition from neighbors

Nearby citizens are not happy.

“We were not consulted on this proposal,” Tony Grisanti, said president of the Lake Norman Cove at Jetton HOA. “We believe our community will be degraded and our property values diminished if this goes through.”

Attorney Tom Johnson, who represents PeakNet, said the 199-foot height achieves the best cell phone coverage in the area, without the need for lighting. Cell phone providers on the tower would include AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.