Railroad company CSX has resubmitted a plan for an antenna tower next to a historic Cabbagetown mill after an earlier version criticized by preservationists ran into power problems.
CSX last year proposed the 70-foot-tall tower, which would serve internal railroad communications, on a site in the Hulsey Yard freight facility about 220 feet from the historic Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills. Preservationists criticized the visual impact on that resource as well as such other nearby historic sites as Oakland Cemetery and the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District. However, the Georgia Historic Preservation Division issued a finding that agreed with a CSX consultant that the project would have “no adverse impacts” on historic sites.
That consultant, HDR, last month notified local organizations that the antenna would not be built after all because of “an issue restoring power to its location.” CSX has now filed a plan for another site a short distance away inside Hulsey Yard, and adjacent to the cemetery.
The project is undergoing another review for historic impacts, with ultimate review by the Federal Communications Commission. The public comment deadline is June 26. Comments can be sent to marcus.huerta@hdrinc.com.
David Yoakley Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, said in an email to HDR that it is a time for advocating the preservation of the historic mill, “not navigating another challenge to the viewshed of this significant National Register [of Historic Places] listing.”
In part, Mitchell was referring to another and more controversial cell tower also proposed last year on CSX-owned land on the other side of the mill. That plan called for a 165-foot-tall tower on Boulevard, next to the cemetery. The status of the plan remains unclear, as private developer CitySwitch has not responded to questions.
Preservationists say that their small organizations and state offices often struggle to keep up with telecommunications tower proposals by private developers near historic sites. Another recent example is a cell tower proposed on a Civil War battlefield in Resaca, Ga.
Update: This story has been updated with the consultant’s report and more information on the new tower’s location.
Fly a balloon!
As a simple demonstration for a few weeks, just like is often done in Washington DC when concerns arise about context of new buildings and bridges with respect to viewsheds from historic places and landmarks, raise a conspicuous red balloon to the height of the proposed pole and leave it for a few days for the public and planners to get a sense of what they’re grumbling about.
Maybe just placing a rigging crane near the spot will help mitigate imagined fears with a real demonstration.
Also, is there no architectural means by which to make the needed pole a complimenting visual element, instead of a galvanized steel eyesore? Think: brick/stone clock tower with a tile roof.