On behalf of Practical Environmental Solutions, LLC, Southern Research, Historic Preservation Consultants, Inc. conducted a Phase I Archaeological Survey and a Visual Effects Survey for a proposed cellular tower located in Banks County, Georgia. The survey was undertaken in compliance with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Nationwide Programmatic Agreement regarding the treatment of historic properties in advance of the construction of a cellular tower. Following guidelines from the FCC and the Georgia Historic Preservation Division (GHPD), the Area of Potential Effects (APE) for direct effects consists of the proposed tower compound, the access road, and easements, while the APE for visual effects is a 0.75-mile radius around the proposed tower pad and access road.
The proposed tower site is located south of Creek Way and west of Highway 441 in Commerce, Georgia on property owned by William Allen. The site lies on the Homer, Georgia USGS 7.5’ series topographic quadrangle (photorevised 2020) (Figure 1). The proposed tower is a 250-foot self-supported tower. The access road extends approximately 500 feet southwest to the tower from Creek Way Road, following an existing dirt road. The tower compound measures 100 x 100 feet in area, is partially wooded, and is located on a ridge slope (Figures 2 and 3).
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