The 190-foot pole would be in a planned park south of a new school in Lithia.
By LETITIA STEIN
Published February 27, 2004
LITHIA - On the drive home to FishHawk Ranch, Vaike O'Grady can chatter away on her cell phone until she hits a spot just east of Boyette Road on FishHawk Boulevard.
"There's usually a drop," she says with a laugh. But that dead zone soon could disappear when her community gains the ultimate symbol of suburbanization: a cell phone tower.
Plans to erect the tower in FishHawk would improve reception immediately for Verizon, Nextel and T-Mobile cell phone users, according to the company that would build the tower.
Other providers could sign up for service.
"Reality is, as we grow, we need better ways to communicate," said O'Grady, regional marketing director for FishHawk's developer, Newland Communities, and a FishHawk resident. "We're growing so quickly in FishHawk Ranch that it's sort of a necessity."
The 190-foot pole would be located south of a new elementary school opening this fall on Dorman Road in Lithia. The tower would be placed on a planned park adjacent to the school.
O'Grady said residents have been discussing pros and cons on community message boards, but no community members objected when developers proposed the tower to county officials.
"We worked with the developer to pick a location that would best suit residents and also meet the needs of carriers where they need coverage," Todd Schlemmer, owner of Tech Tower Properties of Valrico, which hopes to start construction in April, if the county approves.
The tower could begin providing service as early as May. The cell tower won zoning approval along with other changes to the original FishHawk development plans.
County officials still need to review the site plans.
"It's really just a formality, said Dennis Kline, a planner with the Hillsborough County Department of Planning and Growth Management.
