Council turns down 150-foot cell tower behind Jordan High tennis courts

A proposed 150-foot cell tower on the Jordan High School campus won't move forward, at least not where it was drawn. Fulshear City Council voted on Oct. 20 to deny the specific use permit and told the tower company to come back with alternatives.

What was proposed

Diamond Towers V LLC, part of Diamond Communications, asked for a permit to build a monopole tower at 27500 Fulshear Bend Drive, right behind the school's tennis courts. The tower would not need guy wires and was designed so several wireless carriers could share it. Since 2024, the city has allowed cell towers in every zoning district, but each one needs a specific use permit approved by council.

The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval, with the condition that the company give the school district a safety report every year. City staff also recommended approval, on the condition that the access road be paved with concrete or asphalt.

How it got here

The item first came to council on Sept. 15. After neighbors spoke against it, the council postponed it until it got more information. At the Oct. 20 meeting, a resident again asked the council to look at other locations, a shorter tower, or putting antennas on the tennis court light poles.

Staff told the council the tower would sit the same distance from homes as before and had not been proposed anywhere else. Katie Harms of Diamond Communications showed new coverage maps for T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon. She said the maps show spotty service around the school and that the company wanted to keep the 150-foot height because of how many people are in that area at busy times, like after school or during a football game. She said building two shorter towers instead would be a hard sell and might not be allowed under city code.

The vote

Council members said they want better coverage but weren't convinced every option on the campus had been tried. Harms said the school district preferred this spot but was open to others, and that if the permit was denied she would look for a new location and suggested meeting with the city first to check whether a site would work.

Council Member Omar Pena moved to deny the permit while a new location is worked out, and Council Member Camron Miller seconded. The motion passed with no one voting against it on the recording. Council members also asked that coverage maps be included in the public agenda packet next time so residents can see them before the meeting.

Right after the vote, one council member suggested revisiting the city's tower ordinance so that decisions rest on actual coverage data rather than only on the required distance between towers.

Other gaps on the map

Harms's maps showed two other weak spots on the south side of the city, one south of Jordan High and one south of Primrose Park. She said the company already has an approved lease template with the city if a city-owned site turns up there. A council member asked that a spot in District 1 be looked at too.

Separately, on the consent agenda the same night, council approved a 10-foot electric easement along Dixon Road so CenterPoint Energy can power the Diamond tower already built at Primrose Park. Staff said it won't affect the park's next phases.

The meeting video has the full discussion, starting about 4 hours and 10 minutes in. The agenda packet and official minutes, once they're approved, are on the city's public meetings portal.