The Lakeway Zoning and Planning Commission on Oct. 1 voted 4-1 to approve a special-use permit for a 175-foot monopole cell tower on property identified as 251 Highlands Boulevard, with a 15-year term attached to the permit.

Aaron Carr, planning staff, described the site as a City/Elmwood-area parcel near a storage pond and noted the city’s future land use and comprehensive-plan goals that identify cell infrastructure as a stated need. The proposed tower would be 65 feet from the Highlands Boulevard right of way and roughly 670 feet from the nearest residential lot, staff said. Commissioner Hook recused from the item because of his work in the telecommunications industry.

Applicant Vince Heubinger (applicant firm identified in the record as Vincent Gerard and Associates) and Sheila Bendeli, an RF engineer for Verizon, presented coverage maps showing areas of limited mobile service and argued the site would substantially improve both coverage and capacity across Lakeway. “If you turn the site on air, you see the difference. Almost all that red goes to blue and green,” the applicant said while showing the carrier’s coverage models.

Verizon engineer Sheila Bendeli told the commission the proposal would support 5G and that, while small cells can play a complementary role, the carriers had concluded “small cells would not be an effective primary solution for this area due to the challenging terrain, low housing density and dense foliage,” and that a macro site was needed for broad coverage.

Several residents who live in Rough Hollow and adjacent neighborhoods spoke in opposition to the proposed tower’s location; they supported improved coverage but said the proposed site would be visually prominent and raised questions about FAA review, property values and the breadth of equipment that could be collocated on the structure. Mark Nolan, a Rough Hollow resident, said the proposed tower location “will be directly 65 feet at the top of the hill, chasing to the street. There is nothing blocking it.” Others urged exploring distributed small-cell installations instead of a single large monopole.

Supporters including a resident who signed up for public comment said first responders had reported coverage gaps and that the site was vetted by multiple carriers. Jeremy Kaplan, a Lakeway resident, said the tower would also enable fixed wireless broadband options for some residents who lack fast wired service.

Commission discussion addressed visibility, collisions with other infrastructure options (for example, mounting equipment on a water tower or transmission poles), and whether the city should limit the SUP term to allow future removal if a better solution emerges. Commissioners noted ERCOT and transmission-operator constraints limit use of some utility poles and transmission towers as sites for wireless equipment.

After discussion Commissioner [name not specified in transcript] moved to approve the SUP for a 15-year term; the motion passed 4-1. The record shows Commissioner Hook recused; the roll call vote totaled four in favor, one opposed and at least one recusal. The approval is a recommendation to City Council, which will consider final permitting and any lease or land-use conditions.

Quoted material and technical evidence in this article come from the applicant’s presentation, Verizon’s RF engineer and public commenters during citizens participation.