[EyesOnIvy] Wireless service tower proposed for Verulam Farm

[Brian Wheeler]

There are two wireless service towers being proposed for the area around
I-64 and Dick Woods Road being considered at this week's Planning
Commission Hearing (Tuesday, December 2, 2003, 6PM, Room 241, County
Office Building).  The second item below is a request from Ivy residents
Heather & Melton McGuire for a tower on Verulam Farm.  I received a
message from them describing their plans (see below) after the recent
Ivy Community Association meeting.  Melton McGuire gave me permission to
share his assessment of the tower with the EyesOnIvy mailing list.

Brian Wheeler
Ivy Community Association


ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
DECEMBER 2, 2003

4. Item Requesting Deferral:

a. SP-2003-70 Gregory R. Galllihugh-Nextel Partners (Sign #59) - Request
for special use permit to allow the construction of a personal wireless
facility with a monopole, approximately 85 feet in total height and 10
feet above the height of the tallest tree within 25 feet.  The proposed
facility includes flush-mounted panel antennas and ground equipment.
This application is being made in accordance with Section 10.2.2.6 of
the Zoning Ordinance which allows for microwave and radio-wave
transmission and relay towers in the Rural Areas.  The property,
described as Tax Map 74, Parcel 2C, contains 2.78 acres, and is zoned RA
Rural Areas.   The proposal is located on Dick Woods Road (Route 637),
approximately 1.25 miles south of the intersection of Dick Woods Road
and Interstate 64, in the Samuel Miller Magisterial District.  The
Comprehensive Plan designates this property as Rural Areas in Rural Area
3.  (Stephen Waller)  APPLICANT REQUESTS DEFERRAL TO DECEMBER 16, 2003.

5. Public Hearing Items:

c. SP-2003-64 Verulam Farm-VA32344 Omnipoint (Sign #12, 13, 14) 
Request for special use permit to allow the construction of a personal
wireless facility with a monopole, that is approximately 101 feet in
total height and 10 feet above the height of the tallest tree within 25
feet.  The proposed facility includes flush-mounted panel antennas and
ground equipment.   This application is being made in accordance with
Section 10.2.2.6 of the Zoning Ordinance which allows for microwave and
radio-wave transmission and relay towers in the Rural Areas.  The
property, described as Tax Map 74, Parcel 17, contains 356,26 acres, and
is zoned RA, Rural Areas.   The proposal is located on Rt. 677
(Bloomfield Road), approximately .75 miles from the intersection of
Route 637 and Route 677, in the Samuel Miller Magisterial District. The
Comprehensive Plan designates this property as Rural Areas in Rural Area
3.  (Stephen Waller).


=======================

-----Original Message-----
From: Melton McGuire [mailto:VerulamFarm at msn.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 8:24 PM
To: Brian Wheeler
Subject: Verulam Cell Tower

Last night you indicated that you have been asked about the proposed
cell tower on Verulam. The issues are as follows:
 
We see the proposed cell tower installation as a better solution than
other alternatives. The antenna itself is not a concern because it is a
single wood pole with a whip antenna that reaches about 8 feet over the
tree line.  I doubt that it will be noticed in the middle of the forest.
The more serious concern are the utility conduits for power and
telephone required to serve the antenna. The power comes from Rt. 677.
The telephone lines come from the opposite direction. We are concerned
that the utility lines would dominate the mountain views if the antenna
were installed at an alternative site in this corridor and no provisions
are made to address the utility lines. The contract that we negotiated
with the phone company requires them to bury 100% of all conduits
serving the antenna and comply with the terms of a strict conservation
easement. In the final analysis, we prefer to have a good installation
in our backyard rather than a poor installation in our view.
 
Of course, the other benefit is that it will bring both cell phone
service and broadband internet service to the stretch of Rt. 637 and 677
between Bloomfield House and Rosemont which is not available today. The
tower will also solve the cell phone dead spot along the I64 corridor
between Crozet and the Reservoir. We are looking forward to this
improvement.
 
Hope this clarifies the issue.