By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–A site plan for a new Verizon cell tower in Paris was approved unanimously Thursday by the Paris Municipal Regional Planning Commission.
The 135 foot monotype cell tower will be erected on Depot Street on the lot where Trinity Funeral Home was located until a fire destroyed the building several years ago. The lot is owned by Terel Broady and will be leased by the Terra Consulting Group for Veizon Wireless.
City staff noted that the required notice of public hearing was met and that the utilities and city staff reviewed the plat and had no poblems with the request as submitted.
In other business:
–The commission appoved a density change for property on McFadden/Cedar/Mimosa/Allison/Guthrie Streets.
Community Development Jennifer Morris reminded the panel that the city has received a $500,000 gant through the HOME grant program for housing rehab within the city. “With this program, if the cost of the rehab exceeds the value of the home, the grant will allow a tea down and rebuild of the home,” she said.
One of the properties that qualifies is in the McFadden Street area, she said. “In looking to rebuild the home it will be impossible to meet the setbacks since the original stucture was non-conforming. In studying the situation we realized that many of the property owners in this area would be confronted with the same poblem if an unfotunate event were to occur such as wind damage, fire, etc. It would be impossible to rebuild without other measues such as a variance,” she said.
The best solution, she said, would be to change the density from medium to high for the affected area.
–The same officers were again reelected for the planning commission: Chair Rachel Terrell and Vice Chair Richard Edwards.
Photo: Morris points out the affected area for the density change while City Manager Kim Foster and planning commission members Kathy Ray and Richard Edwards look on. (Shannon McFarlin photo).