The Leon Valley City Council on Sept. 16 approved a specific-use permit for a telecommunications monopole at 6004 Grissom Road, permitting construction and operation of a carrier tower on property zoned B-3 commercial. Councilor Miss Mersch moved approval with a stipulation that the tower’s antennas be fitted with stealth panels; Councilor Orozco seconded the motion and the measure passed 4–1 (Bolton dissenting).
The permit authorizes a fenced equipment compound and a monopole installation to serve Verizon Wireless’s coverage needs in the area. The applicant told the council the installation is intended to fill a local coverage gap and to accommodate future colocations for other carriers.
Why it matters: the decision clears the way for a new wireless facility in a commercially zoned pocket adjacent to single-family homes, resolving a contested land-use request that drew neighborhood opposition and questions about health, visual impact and property values.
City staff and the applicant said the proposal complies with local code and federal standards. Melinda Mortz, Leon Valley public works director, described the site and zoning, noting the property is surrounded by B‑3 commercial along Grissom Road and R‑1 single-family to the rear. Mortz said the applicant mailed notices within the city’s 1,000-foot notification distance and that three landowners (representing seven parcels) submitted opposition letters; that number did not reach the 20% land-area threshold that would require a supermajority vote.
Applicant Andy Rotenstreich, speaking for APC Towers and Verizon, said the company studied existing towers but found none at suitable height or availability to deliver the coverage Verizon needs. Rotenstreich described a single‑pole design the company considers less visually intrusive than lattice towers and said the structure would be under the 200-foot lighting threshold the Federal Aviation Administration uses for obstruction lighting. He told the council that, "we are proposing, as you have seen, 60 foot monopole cell tower" and later supplied an FAA determination permitting operation up to 164 feet in the event future approvals were needed.
Several residents spoke in opposition at the council meeting about aesthetics, property values, perceived health effects, potential interference with home electronics, and proximity to backyards. Christian (a resident at 5801 Grissom) raised a fall‑zone concern if property owners later built structures behind their homes; Melinda Mortz replied that building a new accessory structure could make the tower nonconforming but would not prohibit the property owner from building on their own lot.
City Attorney (counsel) reminded the council of federal limits on local regulation of wireless siting and read the ordinance standards the council must find to approve a specific‑use permit, including that the use will not "adversely affect the character and appropriate use of the area" or the master plan and that it will not harm public health, safety or utilities.
Before voting, the attorney reported the applicant provided images of “stealth panels” to conceal the antenna mounts; the applicant confirmed it will install those panels if the permit is approved. Councilor Mersch’s motion approving the permit included the stealth‑panel requirement.
What the council decided: the council voted 4–1 (Bolton opposed) to approve the specific‑use permit for the telecommunications facility at 6004 Grissom Road, with the condition that the antenna array be fitted with stealth panels to reduce visual impact. The applicant agreed on the record to the condition.
Next steps: the applicant must obtain building and other required permits before construction; the council record includes the FAA documentation and the stealth‑panel images supplied to the city attorney during the review.