Appeal of new Verizon cell tower in Heeney heads to Summit County commissioners

The Summit Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Nov. 10, on an appeal from Verizon Wireless regarding a planned cell tower in Heeney. The Lower Blue Planning Commission rejected Verizon’s plans for the cell tower at an Aug. 6 meeting, citing several concerns brought by Heeney residents. Verizon appealed the decision Aug. 13 with a letter to the county planning department. Heeney residents’ concerns included the proposed tower negatively affecting the views from their homes, the aesthetic impacts of a proposed fence, inspections from Summit Fire & EMS, soil instability at the site, public noticing and the aesthetics of the tower itself. Verizon proposed a “monopine,” or a cell tower made to look like a pine tree, that would stand over 70-feet tall, according to planning documents. The company aims to build the tower on county-owned land, behind a road and bridge department storage building at the intersection of Heeney Road and County Road 1776.

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