County commission delays rezoning vote for cell phone tower

Clay County commissioners delayed a vote on rezoning a parcel near the Fox Meadow subdivision in Middleburg that would have allowed the construction of a cell phone tower on the site.

During an earlier planning committee meeting, some residents expressed concern that the zoning change allowing the cell tower would also change the density of the mostly wetlands, 23-acre parcel on Live Oak Lane from two residences to four.

Property owner Paul Pleasant told commissioners he has no plans to construct homes on the land.

“We have no desire to develop it,” Pleasant said. “I want to keep the wetlands the way they are because we hunt. I have friends at church that hunt, and we want to keep it natural.”

Pleasant added that because of the wetlands within the parcel, the mitigation costs of building four homes on the property would reach six figures, making the development of the land economically unfeasible.

Fox Meadow resident Bill Gary told commissioners a cell tower is needed in the rural and isolated subdivision, which borders the eastern side of Jennings State Forest.

“The need for an antenna tower is not just the convenience,” he told commissioners. “It’s about safety. If you have children or adults that are out walking, jogging, bicycling, hiking, horseback riding, having a cell phone signal can be pretty important.”

Gary also said that an adequate mobile phone signal is necessary for calling law enforcement.

“The change request should be approved so that we can get some better service out there,” he said, “and an antenna at this site would meet the need.”

Patricia Archambault, who lives close to the parcel, argued against the zoning request because of the adverse health effects of electromagnetic fields produced by the towers.

“We need our cell towers, but we don’t need them in our backyards, and we should not have them in our backyards,” she told commissioners. “There’s plenty of space elsewhere. There is an entire forest nearby that could provide good service yet be safely away. I have six grandchildren who live not far away. Children’s developing bodies are affected by cell radiation at a much higher level than an adult body.”

Several residents said they did not want the zoning change to result in mobile homes being put on the parcel.

The county’s Economic and Development Services Director, Chereese Stewart, recommended that instead of rezoning, the applicant apply for a conditional use that would allow the tower while keeping the current zoning on the property.

Pleasant agreed to Stewart’s idea, and commissioners tabled the application.