160-foot Nicor communications tower approved by Sycamore City Council

SYCAMORE – A northern Illinois natural gas provider gained Sycamore city approval to build and operate a 160-foot radio communications tower on Dosen Drive on the city’s south side.

The proposal first appeared before the city of Sycamore’s Planning and Zoning Commission on July 11, where the committee backed the proposal with a 10-0 vote. Northern Illinois natural gas provider Nicor Gas solicited city approval for a special use permit to build the tower at 2820 Dosen Drive. The Sycamore City Council voted 8-0 in unanimous approval.

“This may seem like deja vu, this was on the agenda last meeting,” Michael Hall, Sycamore city manager, said during this week’s meeting.

The tower would be comprised of galvanized steel with a 46-inch diameter at the base and 22 inches at the top. The proposal is compliant with existing code related to zoning, site, engineering and geotechnical plans, according to city documents.

“The monopole is not used for cellular communications, and colocation is not contemplated,” Nicor stated in a published response to the city last month. “Rather, the monopole is used by Nicor as part of its advanced monitoring system.”

During the planning and zoning meeting last month, Hall also said Nicor received approval by the Federal Aviation Administration to build due to its proximity to DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport.

Nicor Gas is an Illinois-based natural gas utility. The company is the largest natural gas distributor in Illinois, serving more than 2.2 million residential, public sector and business customers in more than 650 communities throughout the northern portion on the state.