The Kent County Regional Planning Commission heard testimony Oct. 2 on an application to install a telecommunications tower on a farm parcel at 7594 Willow Grove Road in Camden‑Wyoming.

David Gorgonis, who identified himself as a tower consultant and gave an Atlanta-area address, told commissioners the proposed tower would address a “big dead zone” to the west of the site and said public safety was a key reason for adding service. “The last thing anybody wants is one of our kids winding up in [a ditch] … and pulling out their phone to call their parents and it not working,” Gorgonis said.

Gorgonis said the project would be sited on a property of about 274.6 acres, would meet county setbacks, and would include a roughly 50-by-50-foot fenced compound at the tower base. He described the tower as designed to accommodate three major carriers — T‑Mobile, AT&T and Verizon — and said the developer wants structural capacity for a fourth carrier in the future. He said the company relocated the proposed tower location south of a nearby ditch at staff’s request, to keep the structure more screened by tree cover.

The applicant representative described standard engineering features and safety design: the steel structure is intended to “crumple” in a failure rather than topple like a tree, and the consultant said the company aims to maintain large setbacks from residences. Gorgonis said the project team discussed use of an existing dirt access drive and that Kent County ditch maintenance staff told the applicant the access could be graveled if it were kept nonexclusive so county crews could use it for ditch work.

No members of the public came forward in favor or opposition during the hearing.

The commission accepted the testimony as part of the record; commissioners and planning staff asked clarifying questions about siting, screening and access. Planning staff’s public‑hearing announcement advised that the commission would not make a final decision that night and that a common vote of four members is required to act. The commission will consider the application at its Oct. 9 business meeting; the record will remain open for two business days following the hearing.

The application listed the applicant as “Lehi Up Assets I LLC” (mailing address provided in Peachtree Corners, Georgia) and identified William Davis III as the property owner. The parcel’s current zoning was stated as Agriculture‑Residential (AR) and the application indicates the parcel lies outside the county growth zone.

If the county changes or conditions the application at the business meeting, future permitting and building permits will be required before construction could begin.