U.S. Cellular got the green light to start construction on a new cell phone tower on Road C following an approval vote by Lyon County commissioners.
During Thursday’s Lyon County commission action session, commissioners voted to approve an application for a new cell phone tower at 1373 Road C. Gary Watts, Lyon County Planning and Appeals Board member, is the landowner. During a planning board meeting earlier this month, Belinda Bodie, zoning consultant for U.S. Cellular, said the company is trying to improve coverage in the area, which also includes the Kansas Turnpike and U.S. Highway 50.
The application was approved Thursday with conditions such as aiming the tower lights upward and placing landscaping near the tower.
“This is very much needed,” Commissioner Bob Davis commented before the vote was called.
Davis moved to pass the resolution changing the zoning from agriculture to agriculture special use radio and telecommunications tower. Commissioner Scott Briggs seconded the motion. The resolution passed 3-0.
Also during Thursday’s commission meeting, commissioners approved a text change to Lyon County’s zoning regulations. The text change deals with mobile homes on a tract of land where a home already exists. Regulations were changed to only allow a temporary accessory home on lots that are 40 acres or more.
Steve Samuelson, Lyon County zoning administrator and flood plain manager, said the planning board is being hit with applications for temporary accessory homes often.
“We’re trying to give them a way to disapprove some of these,” Samuelson said.
Davis said he agreed with the text change.
“You’re right, we are getting a little bit of saturation with this,” he said. “I think this is a bit overdue.”
Commission Chairman Marshall Miller made the motion to pass the text change. Briggs seconded the motion. It passed with a vote of 3-0.