NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — South Hutchinson City Administrator Joseph Turner said the City is still working on the issue with a second cell tower that AT&T would like to see built south of the city.
This would be a second tower on the property that is at the intersection of K-14 and K-96. One is already there that is owned by SBA Towers V, LLC, but AT&T wants a new tower built by Harmoni Towers.
Reno County Judge Keith Schroeder ruled on November 1 that the City of South Hutchinson had not consistently applied the setback requirements to previous applicants and further argued that the requirements in this instance were “unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious” because the proposed collapsible design of the tower would not negatively impact the health and safety of the community.
After the city changed the grounds on which it contested the application, Judge Schroeder took another look at it in December.
"Our position is that, hey, we want cell towers and we want to have technology, communications, etc., but we don't think that you should be able to build cell towers and piggyback right next to each other all the way into town," said Turner. "We think that is an aesthetic blight. We also think there's some issues with the fact that the applicant has not followed our zoning regulations. We went to court. Most recently, the judge agreed with our attorney and said, hey, the applicant needs to go back to the Board of Zoning Appeals. They are going to be going to the Board of Zoning Appeals, probably sometime here in late January and we're going to review the issue and see where it goes at that point."
Harmoni Towers has one tower in Hutchinson next to the BNSF tracks south of 1st Avenue.
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