The saga of the proposed communications tower for Colonial Beach has been a slow and steady back‑and‑forth between the Town Council and the Planning Commission, with public hearings followed by revisions, and then more public hearings on those revisions. Last week, it finally reached its conclusion with a unanimous approval from the Town Council.

The proposed communications tower will be located next to Food Lion at the Beach Gate Shopping Center, effectively placing it between New Monrovia Road and Route 205. If installed successfully, it is expected to significantly improve signal and reception strength throughout the Beach.

The Planning Commission first drafted Zoning Text Amendment 26‑01, which would allow communication facilities up to 100 feet in height in a C‑1 district, and held a public meeting on it in January.

In February, the Town Council sent it back to the Commission to review the height restriction and establish policies and regulations. This resulted in the removal of the height limit, with ZTA 26‑02 creating regulations based on location, structure, lighting, setbacks, and more.

The next round of public hearings took place on April 9, after which the matter was returned to the Council, ultimately appearing on the Council’s work session agenda last week.

“We looked at the comments from the first public hearing, and people obviously didn’t want them in their neighborhood,” said Angela Lawrence, the Town’s Director of Planning & Community Development. “So that resulted in the setbacks of 100 yards out, which gave us the area we had in mind. That isn’t spot‑zoning—that would be if we only allowed one lot to be zoned agricultural in the Town when it’s surrounded by commercial zones.” With the text amendments approved, the Council then voted on the actual permit for the communications tower, which will stand 150 feet tall. If the conditional use permit was approved, Lawrence estimated construction would begin within two years of final approval.

“I believe we’ll see action much sooner than that, though,” Lawrence added.

A six‑foot fence will surround the monopole. Two representatives from Verizon attended the meeting to address health concerns raised about the tower. One representative noted that “the FCC, Federal Communications Commission, heavily regulates all sorts of radio frequencies, and telecommunication towers fall well below the regulated limits.

“They follow FCC guidelines and will meet that standard, and that’s the only way they can get approvals from the FCC to build the tower. They will comply with every one of those regulations,” the representative continued. “There are many outlets, national and health organizations, that have made statements that there is no connection between the frequencies and health concerns.”

Councilman Richard Wood spoke up to highlight another benefit the tower would bring to the Town: increased revenue.

“This increased signal would allow local businesses to offer better Wi‑Fi, too,” Lawrence added. “It’s a win‑win situation.”

From there, the Council voted on the amendments, the conditional use permit, and the Determination of Substantial Accord. Eager to finally see the project move forward, the Council unanimously approved the entire package.