A 20-story building is typically about 200 feet high

June 16. By Dave Vieser. A cell phone tower almost twice the height of the current one near the intersection of Jetton Road and Old Jetton Road on the Peninsula is being sought by a company that is affiliated with and works with Duke Energy.The plans were unveiled Tuesday at the town’s pre development review committee’s monthly meeting in Town Hall

“The company seeks to erect a 199 foot high tower near the same spot where they currently have a 115 foot stick,” said Town Assistant Manager Wayne Herron.

To do so they will need to receive conditional zoning from the town.

At 199 feet, it is the highest a tower can be before lights are required by the FAA. The existing tower is located adjacent to a Duke Energy sub-station on land owned by the utility.       

Commissioner Dave Gilroy, who is a member of the town’s Pre Development Review Committee, said the desired height raised some concerns and that the company would need to lay out visuals before hearings began.    

The need for higher towers around the country is being largely driven by the demand for more data among cell phone customers. The new, higher cell phone towers, which are designed to handle that demand for data, have larger equipment near the top of the tower.    

Herron said the request could take at least four months to work its way through the town’s review process. He was unable to name the interested firm since formal papers have not yet been submitted to the town.