Politics & Government

St. Charles County Allows Cell Tower in Wine Country

Council member wants to add an ordinance that would give the county more control over cell tower locations near scenic and historic places.

 A cell tower may be put up in the heart of southwest St. Charles County wine country. But a St. Charles County councilman will try to see that it’s the last one.

During a closed session April 11, the St. Charles County Council approved an agreement that would allow the St. Charles Tower Inc. to build a cellphone tower in the Defiance area.

The agreement settled a lawsuit brought by St. Charles Tower. The company sued St. Charles County for denying a conditional use permit for the cell tower. The tower will be located on Walnut Creek Trail near Highway F.

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“I was opposed to it, because I don’t like the fact that they’re putting up a 130-foot cell tower in wine country,” said Council Chairman Joe Brazil, R-District 2, of Defiance.

The tower will be visible from the deck ofChandler Hill Vineyards, he said. Brazil said the winery has invested a lot of money in its location because of the scenery. The tower will be designed to look like a tree.

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Brazil and Councilman Joe Cronin, R-District 1, of St. Paul, voted against allowing the cell tower Feb. 15. Two council members were absent from that meeting, so the 3-2 vote fell one vote shy of the minimum necessary to approve the measure at that meeting. But that decision was reversed in the April 11 meeting.

However, Brazil said that if the county could have more control over cell tower location if it had a scenic "viewshed" ordinance.

He said the county's attorneys told council members that if they had an ordinance that is designed to keep cell towers from locating in historic or scenic areas. He said wineries invested in the area because of its scenic beauty and history, and fears cell towers will detract from the natural setting.

“Now they have a cell tower down near the Daniel Boone Home,” Brazil said.

Brazil said he plans on introducing a similar bill that would give the county council more say in where cell phones can locate.

“Different counties in other states have this ordinance,” Brazil said. “It gives the county more control over where cell towers can go. Mostly in wine country is where we have issues.”

A county in California’s Napa Valley is one county that has the “viewshed” ordinance.

Brazil said the ordinance would cover the whole county, not just wine county in the southwest St. Charles County.

Wynn, of O’Fallon, said although he supported the St. Charles Tower application, his reaction was mixed.

“The hardest part is determining where the rights of one person ends and another person’s rights begin,” Wynn said. “There’s the right to protect the scenic beauty of an area versus the right of a property owner to do what he wants to do with his land.”

The county added several stipulations to the cell tower agreement.

  • The tower can’t be taller than 130 feet.
  • The St. Charles County Community Development Department must approve the site plan.
  • The tower must be painted the color indicated on the site plan.
  • Only warning signs or owner contact information may be posted on the tower.
  • A minimum 6-foot tall chain-link fence must surround the site.
  • A land disturbance permit is required to clear and grade the site.
  • The conditional use permit will be voided if improvements and requirements are not made within two years.
  • The tower must accommodate five providers.


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