A request to construct a communications tower northwest of Emporia has been tabled for at least 30 days following a meeting of the Lyon County Commission Thursday morning.
The decision came after a request was presented to commissioners by AT&T and Network Real Estate LLC to erect a cell phone tower near a residential area located just west of the intersection of Road 190 and Road E. The request was approved by the Lyon County Board of Zoning and Appeals, according to Zoning Director Sam Seeley. “As of right now, the land is zoned as agriculture,” Seeley said. Homeowners in the area, including Russell Osborn, have also already filed a valid petition of protest against the construction on the grounds that it would decrease property values and create an eyesore.
“Four of our properties are within 1,000 feet of [the location],” Osborn said. “My concern is, I don’t think they took into consideration the existing neighborhood. We’ve all gone out there and built our houses and put investments into the properties, and the people that own the ground across from us don’t even live in this county.”
Osborn said he and the other petitioners were not objecting to the construction of a cell phone tower, but wanted to see a different location used instead.
(Read more: Emporia Gazette)