Company wants to build cell tower in Killeen that looks like a tree

A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday to consider a rezoning request for the construction of a communication tower in north Killeen.

“This case here is for property located at 225 Long Avenue for the installation of a cell tower,” said Edwin Revell, Killeen’s executive director of development services.

The new tower requires “a conditional-use permit. That’s by ordinance,” Revell said.

John Gatz of Texas Canyon Consulting of Anna, representing Killeen property owner Barbara Boxer, explained on Nov. 1 how the tower will look, potential health impact to residents in the area and how it will improve online communications in that part of Killeen.

‘Meet the need’

“From my research, the city of Killeen has over 54,840 homes in the city and according to statistics, there are at least five mobile devices in each of those homes, which means that currently in the city of Killeen there’s over 274,000 mobile devices — phones, tablets, items that you have inside the home that you can talk to — TV sets and so forth,” he said. “Eighty percent of all 911 calls made in the United States are initiated by mobile phones. Being proactive is my client’s requirement — being able to go ahead and meet the need before the need arises.”

The Alta Towers “monopine” cell tower will be built inside a compound and erected in such a way that if it collapses, damage will be limited inside the structure.

The compound will be surrounded by greenery “in order to meet the requirements of zoning,” Gatz said. “Also included are eight trees ... to go ahead and surround the area as well. In this particular instance ... it’s a monopine that’s going to be erected.”

Up to four cellular carriers may access the tower.

‘Fully functional tree’

“The foliage doesn’t go all the way to the bottom but it will go down far enough to encapsulate all of the carriers on it, and the foliage will be put on before in anticipation of the four carriers,” Gatz said. “The remainder of the monopine will be painted bark brown in order to complete the resemblance of a fully functional tree.”

As far as safety is concerned, Gatz said, the 140-foot tower poses little to no safety risks to residents.

“We have this tower designed so that it has individual break points so that the tower, if it has a catastrophic failure ... it’s not going to fall down,” he said. “What it does is it crinkles like a straw and completes its destruction within the compound itself. The compound is 60 foot by 60 foot, so the break point is at 30-foot levels.”

Killeen Planning and Zoning Commission members on Oct. 3 recommended that Gatz build a camouflaged tower.

‘Far end of the safe zone’

“We’re going to require the antennas on the tower to actually use green-sleeve socks so that they actually blend into the tower itself,” Gatz said.

Furthermore, the company Gatz represents addressed radio frequency, he said.

“Your Bluetooth headsets are one of the highest that create radiation within it. You’ve got baby monitors there (and) your wireless laptops and so forth. We’re on the far end of the safe zone on these.”

According to the American Cancer Society, the Federal Communications Commission has found that “radio frequency emissions from antennas used for cellular and PCS (personal communications service) transmissions result in exposure levels on the ground that are typically thousands of times below safety limits. These safety limits were adopted by the FCC based on the recommendations of expert organizations and endorsed by agencies of the Federal Government responsible for health and safety. Therefore, there is no reason to believe that such towers could constitute a potential health hazard to nearby residents or students.”

The cell tower Alta Towers intends to build is 4G- and 5G-capable.

“I understand it’s going to be a 4G to 5G,” Councilwoman Nina Cobb said. “Is there anything that we could be concerned with as far as phishing and spams and the people and the towers being delayed as far as the signals? During the COVID time, we did have those delays from other towers. How would that work with us, sir?”

Increased capabilities

Gatz said the tower on Long Avenue will increase communication capabilities across the neighborhood.

“The importance of putting up this tower, especially in this neighborhood and the height that we’re requesting, is that it’s going to ... encompass that area in that neighborhood,” he said. “When you send everybody home and they have nothing to do, all of a sudden they’re using their television sets, their phones and so forth. They’re using their internet on their laptops and so forth, And when you have one cell tower in that neighborhood and you have 500 homes all hitting it at the same time, you have dropped calls, you have interdiction. You have problems.”

Gatz said 5G technology “uses a whole lot more juice from a cell tower.”

“By putting this up, you’re going to take that area that may have gone to the next neighborhood over and used that cell tower. They’re going to have their own, now. Each cell tower works on a handoff capability. This is going to fill a need that the wireless community considers capacity and coverage.”

‘A great idea’

Councilman Jose Segarra called it “a great idea and a great location.”

“The other aspect of it is here in the council, we’re always looking for ways to improve our downtown,” he said. “This is just another tool to go toward that.”

According to a staff report, 225 Long Avenue is in the “neighborhood infill” area on the Growth Sector Map and is designated as “regional commercial” on the Future Land Use Map of the 2022 Comprehensive Plan.

“The ‘neighborhood infill’ area include areas that are already developed with access to city services and infrastructure but include vacant, (underused), or poorly developed properties,” the staff report shows. “The request is consistent with the following ‘big ideas’ of the 2022 Comprehensive Plan: Resource stewardship and fiscally responsible growth ensure a more prosperous community for the long haul.”

The Killeen City Council meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, at City Hall, 101 N. College St.