Four new telecommunications towers in Fayette have been approved,, but at least one of them won't be constructed without a zoning variance.

The County Commission approved four "monopole" towers, one of 250 feet for AirTouch Cellular off Ga. Highway 85 north, and three of 180 feet each for Powertel Inc. The Powertel locations proposed include sites on Arnold Road, Morgan Road and near the intersection of Old Greenville Road and McBride Road.

The latter location apparently is too close to an existing FAA tower. In addition, a tower under construction in the vicinity would accommodate Powertel's needs, said the tower owner, Lee Wright. Wright told the commission that his tower on Chappell Road off Old Greenville would be available to Powertel, but neither the commission nor Powertel representatives made any reply or comment.

Powertel was represented at the meeting by JoEllen Mitchell and attorney Doug Dillard.

In the staff analysis report for the location, the proximity of the FAA tower is cited as a reason for application for variance when site plans for the facility are submitted to the county, according to Robin Moore in the zoning office.

Bob McElroy, a neighboring resident who spoke against the McBride Road tower, said later that the new structure would put "two towers within about a mile of each other." Towers must be at least 1.5 miles apart, according to Fayette's zoning ordinance section on towers.

The tallest of the four approved towers is located on 17.87 acres in a commercial district, but the zoning classification for the other three is A-R, agricultural residential. The Arnold Road property consists of just over 200 acres, which Commissioner Harold Bost described as "an absolutely beautiful piece of property ... it seems a shame to put a tower in the middle of it."

Wright said in an interview later that "the race is on" to build communication towers, because tower owners stand to make the profits. Though Mitchell had described Powertel as a company "committed to co-location," Wright said "I know they would rather own the tower." Fayette County requires that all communication towers be available to county emergency system users and that all towers be built to accommodate at least three users.