A 50-foot cell tower just off U.S. 29 in northern Amherst County is slated to receive a bump in height with an 80-foot replacement tower, allowing for additional wireless carriers, following approval from the Board of Supervisors.

The board’s unanimous vote last Tuesday allows a special exception request in an agricultural residential district for Crown Castle, Inc., the applicant, to place the new tower at 2631 North Amherst Highway.

Crown Castle wrote in an application to the county increased wireless service would benefit those living, working and traveling through the area and emergency responders also would benefit from the boost in coverage. The company said in the application it believes the height increase presents no significant impact on the surrounding area, still maintains the property’s agricultural character and allows wireless tenant carriers AT&T, T-Mobile and Shentel to avoid the need for additional wireless facilities in the area, such as another tower.

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Dense trees line much of the property’s frontage along U.S. 29, according to the application. The project allows for T-Mobile and Shentel to colocate on the tower and meet service gaps while conforming to the county’s comprehensive plan, the application states.

Ella Magruder, a county resident who lives on Spencer Mountain Road near the tower, spoke against the height increase during a public hearing. She said she appreciates the need for wireless coverage but wants to ensure it doesn’t encroach on the area’s natural beauty.

“It would be a shame to obscure that beautiful view,” Magruder said.

Mark Magruder, her husband, also opposed the project he claimed would prove an “eyesore” and favored protecting the area’s scenic views.

“I think that’s why people come here,” he said.

In other news:

Supervisors unanimously approved a short-term rental use for a home owned by Jamie and Joyce Kirby in a subdivision on W. Highlands Drive west of the town of Amherst. The Norfolk couple intends to use the log home as a retirement residence, but in the meantime plans to rent it.

Supervisors enacted a measure last fall to allow short-term rentals in subdivisions through a special exception process that includes notifying surrounding property owners and holding public hearings through the board of supervisors and county planning commission.