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Committee OKs 2 Cell Towers

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By KEVIN WIATROWSKI

kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com

Published: January 30, 2009

NEW PORT RICHEY - Two new cell towers for east Pasco County won approval Thursday.

The two towers - one requested by T-Mobile, the other by Verizon Wireless - aim to improve cell service in the sparsely populated east side of the county.

The T-Mobile tower is proposed for 63 acres near Melrose Avenue and U.S. 98, northeast of Zephyrhills.

The Verizon Wireless tower would go on 10 acres near the intersection of Handcart Road and Perpetual Lane, northwest of Zephyrhills.

The county's Development Review Committee signed off on the towers Thursday. They both still must get conditional-use permits from the county's Planning Commission and subsequent approval by county commissioners before construction can begin.

Both towers would go up on land leased from the current property owners, in largely rural areas. Both towers will be single poles about 190 feet tall.

Pasco has about 125 communications towers, about two-thirds of them dedicated to cellular phone service.

The Verizon proposal drew an objection from landowner Kenneth Keith, who leases land to T-Mobile along Handcart road, about a mile from the proposed Verizon site.

Keith objected to letting Verizon move forward with its tower because his tenant still has space for four more cell relays. Keith's rent rises with the number of relays on the tower on his land.

Verizon officials said Keith's 150-foot-tall tower is too short to provide the needed coverage for its customers.

Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 948-4201.

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