The Deschutes County Commission will hear an appeal by a company whose proposal to build a cell tower near Alfalfa was rejected by the county hearings officer in March.

American Tower submitted an application to build a 100-foot tall cell tower in the 25000 block of Alfalfa Market Road. The application went before the hearings officer in December, who officially denied the application March 1. American Tower appealed within the 12-day appeal period.

“The hearing officer determined the company did not consider a large enough search area for placement of the tower,” said county Senior Planner Paul Blikstad at the work session. “The board needs to take a look at that to make sure they agree with what the hearing officer decided.”

The hearings officer’s decision is based on his interpretation of county code, said Nick Lelack, planning director for Deschutes County. The appeal by American Tower is asking the commission to reconsider the hearing officer’s interpretation.

“The board hearing this would make a huge impact on how we interpret code in the future,” he said.

Placement of cell towers often inspires strong emotions in residents nearby. In February 2012 several residents of the Cascade View Estates neighborhood spoke out about not wanting the tower in their neighborhood. Several Alfalfa residents at the Wednesday work session told the commission they didn’t want a cell tower near their homes, either.

“We need to find a balance on how federal law supports the whole network compared to how we defend our citizens’ property rights,” said Commission Chairman Alan Unger. “I think we need to hear this to clarify how we interpret our code.”

The commissioners are considering a town hall-type meeting in Alfalfa to hear citizen concerns and opinions. They will have additional work sessions to decide whether or not the proposed cell tower falls within code restrictions.