Commissioner Watkins Tables Controversial Dacula Tower Proposal

DACULA — A controversial proposal to bring a 14-story cell phone tower to residential Dacula was tabled Tuesday night at a public hearing.

The proposed site for the Dacula cell phone tower is located in District 3 Commissioner Jasper Watkins' district near Little Mulberry Park at 3570 Jim Moore Road. He said during the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners' public hearing that the topic would be brought up again during the Nov. 16 public hearing because the applicant, Atlanta-based wireless developer CitySwitch, requested additional time.

Watkins declined an earlier interview with Patch until after Tuesday’s hearing, but still wasn’t available to comment.

The Hamilton Group, locals who oppose the tower, showed up in red ready to list all the reasons they are against it. Dacula resident Candice Lange said Tuesday night that pushing the topic to next month can be a good thing.

“Hoping the table means more people have a chance to hear about it and show more support,” she said.

Last week during Watkins’ townhall he told community members that he couldn’t answer their questions yet because they needed to be “vetted” by the county’s legal team.

He said this was to make sure they weren't "violating any rules of transparency" and wanted to be fair to the applicant too.

Although invited, the developer also missed that scheduled opportunity to meet the community, Watkins said.

An online petition was launched to stop any future plans for the 14-story tower. Residents fear it’ll not only devalue property, but also cause injuries or death from fallen debris.

AT&T didn't immediately respond to an interview request, but shared Friday an email statement:

This site is part of our ongoing investment to improve service and coverage for our Dacula customers. When selecting a new cell site, we work with local officials to find the location that balances the needs of our business with the concerns of the community.

Messages to CitySwitch weren’t returned.