If

communications tower companies can't meet

Fayette's restrictions and still provide adequate

coverage in Fayette County, they can apply for a

variance.

County

commissioners last week approved changes to the

county's ordinance governing the towers that will

allow variances, but decided not to reduce the

required distance between towers or the required

distance between towers and nearby homes.

The

county's governing body also approved new wording

in the ordinance that will allow companies to

replace existing towers with bigger ones, and

increased the width of the established highway

corridors - within which the restrictions

are less burdensome - from 500 feet to 1,000

feet.

But

outside those corridors, towers must still be two

miles apart instead of being reduced to 1.5 miles

as recommended by the county Planning and Zoning

Commission, and towers must still be at least

1,000 feet away from the nearest residence. The

Planning Commission had recommended reducing that

distance to 750 feet.

Tower

companies had requested the changes, saying there

is nowhere in Fayette County that new towers can

be built under the current ordinance, except

where they're not needed.

Representatives

of the industry warned that companies may have to

file suit in order to meet their federal mandate

of providing cell phone coverage throughout the

nation.

Members

of the County Commission said allowing variances

should be adequate for true hardship situations.

Requests for variance go before the county Zoning

Board of Appeals.

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