145-Foot Cell Tower Proposed Near Drexel Avenue And 27th Street

OAK CREEK, WI — A 145-foot monopole cell phone service tower has been proposed for land near Drexel Avenue and 27th Street in Oak Creek.

The Oak Creek Plan Commission is scheduled to consider a conditional use permit for the facility on Tuesday.

Proposal documents and drawings show the tower could be constructed alongside a small facility at the base in an 80-foot by 70-foot leased area. A gravel driveway was proposed to be constructed off Drexel Avenue leading to the tower. A five-foot lightning rod would be attached at the top, bringing the structure's total proposed height to 150 feet.

Verizon Wireless would attach equipment to the monopole, proposal documents say. The structure has been designed to accommodate two additional wireless carriers, according to plan commission documents.

The proposal comes after Verizon Wireless established a need to improve its service within Oak Creek, according to an affidavit by a site development consultant for the company.

Verizon concluded an improvement in its Oak Creek wireless service would require a cell tower being constructed in an area west of Interstate 94, east of 27th Street and south of Drexel Avenue. The height of the structure was determined necessary for cell service to avoid further "undue" construction of towers within the city, the affidavit says.

An FAA study of the project issued in 2018 determined such a tower would not pose issues to air navigation, according to plan commission documents. The proposed tower would be located about three miles southwest of Mitchell International Airport.

Patch reached out to Oak Creek Mayor Dan Bukiewicz for comment. This article will be updated if we hear back.