Assembly delays cell tower ordinance as residents urge action before more towers rise

The Petersburg Borough Assembly heard public testimony Monday urging quicker action on a communications tower overlay ordinance before more towers are erected across the community.

Planning Commission member Joshua Adams told the Assembly that Tidal Network and GCI are both seeking tower sites in Petersburg. Without clear zoning rules, the borough risks a "free-for-all," he said. The Planning Commission has developed an overlay designating borough and Forest Service land for towers, steering them away from residential neighborhoods.

Adams warned that lots with towers cannot support other construction because safety rules require the property to be 110 percent as wide as the tower is tall. "These towers will eat up usable lots in areas better used for housing and commerce, and that's part of our tax base," he said. He cited the former flower farm at Pat Keyes as an example of land that would be permanently lost to other uses if a tower is placed there.

Resident Michael Klein said more than 300 people have actively engaged with the Planning Commission on the tower issue. Klein said he had inquired about the timeline but had not received a clear answer. He urged the Assembly to see the ordinance language before continuing negotiations with Tidal Network on the fire hall parcel. "We're going to have towers up before we even have an ordinance," Klein said.

Mayor Lynn said the borough tentatively plans to introduce the ordinance at the next Assembly meeting if it can get through the attorney. The ordinance will require three readings before adoption.

Adams also raised concerns about property values. Residents are already contesting their assessments because of nearby towers, he said. "Steel towers debase the value of your land," he said. "People are already contesting their property assessments over this, and they're not wrong because they are losing the value of their properties."

The Planning Commission's proposed overlay would direct towers to a combination of borough and Forest Service land, avoiding residential areas. Adams called it "a win-win for everyone, including our partners." The Assembly must reject current proposed tower sites to make the alternative viable, he said.

Resident Becky Knight, whose testimony was read by Judy Omer because Knight could not attend, requested a borough moratorium on cell towers and data centers until impacts can be fully analyzed through the National Environmental Policy Act process. Knight argued that both cell towers and data center construction qualify for NEPA review despite any Federal Communications Commission exemptions.

The Assembly took no action Monday. The communications tower overlay ordinance may appear on the May 18 agenda for first reading, pending attorney review.