Cellphone tower plan approved in Lake Wylie

Residents in Lake Wylie could be looking at a few more bars.

The York County Zoning Board of Appeals on Dec. 10 heard a public service use request for a new cell tower at 5018 Windmill Lane. Owner Randall Fields, along with T-Mobile representative Jonathan Yates, applied to put a 170-foot tower on the almost 8-acre site.

The pair applied for and received a rezoning earlier this year that allowed them to ask for the public service use. Current zoning allows a 150-foot tower, but the extra 20 feet are allowed due to its camouflaged design. It will feature an artificial foliage design.

At the June rezoning request, Yates said the site is a specific for T-Mobile because of a “very big coverage deficit” in the area.

“They’ve studied this coverage deficit for some time in Clover,” he said. “They’ve determined that Randy’s property is the perfect solution.”

The property sits across from Carolina Coves subdivision. Joe Nichols, president of the homeowner group there, said neighbors nearest the site were informed of the Dec. 10 meeting.

“Some people got the letter inviting them to the public hearing,” he said. “It didn’t come to the whole neighborhood.”

Nichols doesn’t have an opinion on the project. Neighbors are mixed.

“Half of us are happy to have better cell coverage here, because it’s not great,” he said. “A few people are unhappy about property values, and that sort of thing.”

Without a consensus, the neighborhood group isn’t giving an official opinion.

“The board isn’t taking a position,” Nichols said. “There’s as many people who probably would like the cell tower as there are who think it might be an eyesore.”

This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 1:22 PM with the headline "Cellphone tower plan approved in Lake Wylie."