Members of the Cumberland County Planning Commission voted to table code amendments relating to communication antennas and towers and voted to recommend a cellular tower on Salem Church Road to the Cumberland Board of Supervisors.

The 280-foot self-support tower would be located at 86 Salem Church Road, at the intersection of Salem Church Road and Route 45. The tower, according to the application, would be established on 0.057 acres of an 82.05-acre parcel.

Cumberland Planning and Zoning Director J.P. Duncan said the tower would be located on a 50-foot by 50-foot square and be surrounded by a seven-foot fence, and be accessed by a 375-foot access road.

Duncan said the cell tower could support up to four wireless carriers.

He said Shentel, doing business as (dba) Sprint, would be the anchor tenant, though added there would be room for carriers co-locating on the tower.

The current zoning is Agricultural-2. The application cites that the land would remain zoned as Agricultural-2 with a conditional use permit.

Vice Chair Randy Bryant asked how the proposed tower compared height-wise with existing towers in the county.

McAvoy said a guide tower located near the Cartersville Rescue Squad is estimated to be 250 feet, and noted towers along Route 45 and Route 60.

Precision Cell, LLC worked in the Town of Farmville recently, installing cell service antennas at the top of the water tower located at Andrews Drive.

District Four Supervisor Hunter Allen said the proposed tower would be located in his district.

“It serves an area of the county that is underserved at the moment,” Allen said. He said the tower could provide the potential for the county to improve its emergency services communication.

“It’s much needed,” Allen said.

Members of the commission voted to recommend the proposed tower to the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors.

Commission members also evaluated recent amendments made to the Code of Virginia concerning zoning for wireless communications infrastructures and the potential to make amendments to Cumberland County’s zoning policies on these infrastructures to comply with the Code of Virginia. Duncan also contended that some of the existing county policies may not be conducive or necessary for cellular towers in the present day, including that the county require a bond or letter of credit from the applicant for demolition or site restoration costs.

“These cell towers, when they first started out, it was more of a luxury,” Duncan said. “Now it’s a necessity. So I don’t see them going anywhere. I don’t see them causing grave harm. So to me it’s just not necessary.”

McAvoy, who said he gave a cursory review of Cumberland’s policies and consulted with Duncan about them, suggested having the county attorney review the state and county policies and seek to make the county policies consistent with Virginia’s.

County Attorney and Administrator Vivian Seay Giles and members of the commission said they could review the policies in more detail, and McAvoy said he could be a resource.

“I don’t think any one of us … would be against getting rid of some regulations, but how about we table this until we have enough time for Ms. Giles to go through it and find any more contradictions and just get rid of them,” Commission Chair William Burger said.

Members of the commission voted to table the vote on the county’s code amendments.