A wireless communication tower planned for west of Ellsworth Road and north of Germann Road can exceed the 40-foot height limit and rise to 65 feet, the Mesa Board of Adjustment decided recently.
The seven-member board conducts public meetings to hear and decide requests for variances, special-use permits and interpretations of the city of Mesa zoning ordinance and sign code. Members are appointed for staggered terms of three years, according to the city’s website.
The board on Sept. 7 voted 6-0 to approve a special use permit to allow the taller tower as part of a consent agenda with other items. Vice Chair Nicole Lynam was absent.
The tower is to be constructed on property in the light industrial zoning district with a council use permit overlay, Staff Planner Chloe Durfee Daniel said at a study session prior to the meeting.
“The base height in this zoning district is 40 feet, which is why they are requesting a special use permit,” she said. “The increase is permitted when meeting the setback requirements from residential lots. The design of the facility is a 65-foot-tall stealth broadleaf tree... All equipment will be painted to match and they will be using antenna socks placed over each antenna to give the illusion that antennas are covered in leaves.”
Declan Murphy of Coal Creek Consulting for TowerCom/T-Mobile is the applicant. ETP Fundings LLC is the owner.
The wireless communication facility will provide residents, visitors, businesses and emergency services with improved service in the area, Murphy said in a written project narrative.
“There are a number of advantages to opting for a stealth broadleaf tree versus a monopalm. The most recent wireless technology requires that radio equipment be mounted closer to the antennas than in the past. So a stealth tree can better conceal the current equipment as opposed to a monopalm and also tend to hold up better over time from an aesthetics perspective. A stealth tree with the proper branch density/color can be far more aesthetically pleasing and durable over time than the best-quality monopalm,” Murphy said.
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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