Inside Towers

Illinois Wednesday, May 10, 2017; Volume 5 | Issue 92

Local Officials Fighting State Law That Makes Tower Placement Easier

Illinois Senate Enrolled Act 213 was signed into law on May 2, but Crown Point city officials took steps to avoid its effects. The state law was designed to make it easier for contractors to locate cell towers in the public right-of-way and bypass the local planning process, as long as aboveground utilities are permitted. In response, the Chicago Tribune reports the Crown Point City Council and Board of Works passed a resolution designating the entire city’s public right-of-way for underground utility placement only.

City Attorney David Nicholls explained under the new resolution, towers or structures can only be placed in the public right-of-way with permission from the city, giving city officials the power to control where equipment is placed. Mayor David Uran said the resolution was approved by the city council on May 1, a single day before the state law came into effect. Uran explained the city does not want to disrupt wireless service. The goal of the resolution is to keep small towers from impacting residents’ property and aesthetics. He stated, "We don't want to impede anybody's progress.”

The questions started coming in as soon as neighbors noticed the size and shape of a 60-foot structure being built on an open field in the middle of a neighborhood in the Sun City section of Menifee. One resident referred to it as a "mammoth structure that looks like a giant erector set."