NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — A metro Atlanta county commission unanimously approved construction of a new cellphone tower.
The Newton County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a 150-foot Verizon cell tower on Sept. 1.
Documents show the tower will also feature a five-foot lightning rod, bringing the total height to 155 feet.
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According to documents from the commission, the tower will be built on Highway 162 and is expected to take up 0.23 acres.
In addition to the tower itself, Verizon got approval to build a 12-foot gravel driveway and a 30-foot ingress/egress and utility/fiber easement that will access the highway, though further approval will need to come from the Georgia Department of Transportation.
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Commission staff said the plan would allow for “satisfactory” access for pedestrians, traffic flow, emergency access and automotive safety.
The tower itself will not be a manned facility, only expected to have maintenance performed between eight and 10 times in the year, outside of emergencies.
According to the proposal, the Verizon tower will be surrounded by seven-foot-tall masonry and wooden fences all the way around for security, painted a neutral color.
The plan includes the planting of multiple 20-foot-tall Green Giant trees to help with “visual obtrusiveness” within its location, a church-owned property near residential and commercial districts.
The walls will also have “anti-climbing” features.
Before construction on the tower itself can begin, and even before the project can apply for permitting, the Environmental Health Department will need to approve construction plans, according to commission documents.
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