Town approves SUP for cell phone antennas for MetroPCS Texas; Future lease agreement

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could help park improvement.

A vote Monday by Flower Mound’s Town Council got MetroPCS one step closer to providing better service in town and perhaps helped pave the way for park improvement at the same time.

The council voted to allow a specific use permit for MetroPCS to install telecommunication antennas on an existing TXU electrical transmission tower at Bluebonnet Park, as well as related cabinets to the base.

The next step in the process is the town and the telecommunications company deciding on a lease agreement at a future council meeting to allow the equipment near the tower.

Possible terms of the agreement include $36,000 given to the town up front that could be used for improvements at the park’s soccer fields and other areas, said Jack Jones, director of parks and recreation.

Much of the concern from residents at the meeting stemmed from the cabinets that will be built on the bottom of the tower.

“The tower is behind my house,” said resident Skip Whitrock. “You can see (the cabinets) from the second story of my house. This is an eyesore.” Bill Bauman, a MetroPCS representative, said the equipment is 5 feet tall and the proposed wall is 8 feet tall.

“With the 3-foot difference, that should help screen the view,” Bauman said.

Residents also voiced concern about the need for improvements at Bluebonnet Park and were worried the lease agreement won’t fix the problems. Bowman said MetroPCS would maintain the park for the first year, and the town’s parks department would take over maintenance after that.

Bauman said there was a need for the antennas to drastically improve the phone service’s coverage area and help reduce dropped calls.

Bauman said there were six other sites being looked at for the antennas, but he said most of the other options had ground space issues.

Flower Mound’s Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the approval, 6-0, in February but requested some conditions be met. MetroPCS will build an iron gate around the antennas instead of a wooden gate, which had previously been proposed. And, the company will order gray cables to blend in with the pole.

The antennas, which will be at the top of the tower, measure 4 feet tall and 7 inches wide.