Rocky View County (RVC) council refused an amendment to a Springbank-area direct control bylaw to add “Commercial Communications Facilities” as a possible use, which would have facilitated the construction of a 30-metre Rogers cell tower on land belonging to Springbank United Church.
According to planner Andrea Bryden, the application may be better suited to an agricultural or business area. The proposal did not meet the County’s policy guidelines relating to commercial communications facilities, she said, as it would be located too close to residential dwellings.
Council voted 5-3 to refuse the application at a regular meeting Jan. 14, with Reeve Greg Boehlke and Couns. Kevin Hanson and Daniel Henn opposed. Hanson said he believed the setback was meant to anticipate aesthetic issues, which the applicant said could be addressed by disguising the tower as a tree.
“I think the benefits of that connectivity far outweigh the aesthetic concerns,” he said.
Area Coun. Kim McKylor recused herself from the discussion for reasons of “pecuniary interest.”
