Milton planners delay action on permit for TV tower

Milton Planning and Zoning Commission has asked for more information in a conditional-use permit request by Loblolly LLC to build a television transmission tower on Sam Lucas Road.

The commission seeks details on plans for the tower, specifically relating to increased setbacks around it, before a special meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 29. The commission could vote at that meeting on an advisory report to be sent to Milton Town Council. 

Loblolly, the property management wing of Draper Holdings, is asking to build a 525-foot tower on a portion of an 80-acre parcel the company owns on Sam Lucas Road. Draper Holdings owns the WBOC, WRDE, Fox 21 and Telemundo television stations. The goal of the tower is to provide a more powerful signal that would cover more area and provide a stronger emergency signal. A conceptual plan was first brought before the commission in August, and from there, the go-ahead was given to further develop site plans. 

At the commission’s Dec. 15 meeting, Commissioner Lynn Ekelund asked what would happen should the tower collapse. Project engineer Zac Crouch said the tower is designed to collapse in on itself. Town Project Coordinator Tom Quass said in the event of a collapse, no houses would be in the area. He said the only nearby homeowner, Robert Lewis, was in favor of the tower, as long as no trees are removed during construction and an equal-size parcel of land adjacent to the tower site is donated to the Nature Conservancy. 

The parcel is currently zoned R-3 residential with a large-parcel development designation, meaning it could be developed as a large-scale development with multifamily housing units. The property’s zoning only allows for a 40-foot antenna, so Loblolly asking for a conditional-use permit.

Draper Holdings is planning for its stations to remain as is: WBOC will be a full-power station required to be carried on cable services, while WRDE and Telemundo will remain low-powered stations that can cover a limited service area. Fox 21 is a digital subchannel using WBOC’s production facilities; these channels are optional for cable carriers to provide. Draper representatives have said there have been talks about building additional production facilities in Milton, including a new studio at the company’s Milton facility on Chestnut Street. 

The Dec. 29 meeting will be held virtually via teleconference. Members of the public wishing to participate can join by calling 425-436-6360 and entering passcode 500943 or online at join.freeconferencecall.com/tquass.