A proposed 150-foot cell tower at Jordan High School is on hold after Fulshear City Council voted Tuesday, Sept. 15, to postpone the permit rather than approve it.

Council members want a citywide wireless coverage analysis and information on lower-height alternatives before the proposal comes back. More than 100 residents opposed the project, one council member said during the meeting.

Diamond Towers V, LLC applied July 24 for a Specific Use Permit (SUP) to build the monopole on Katy Independent School District property at 27500 Fulshear Bend Drive. Verizon is the anchor tenant driving the project, Diamond Communications representative Katie Harms told council, according to My Neighborhood News. The tower would reach about 154 feet at its highest point and support up to three wireless carriers.

The school site sits in Fulshear's Semi-Urban Residential zoning district, surrounded by single-family homes on all four sides, according to the city's public notice.

Council members noted that six tower or antenna sites have been approved in Fulshear but only three are operational. They discussed CenterPoint Energy electrical service delays as one factor in the lag. That raised a question: what will coverage actually look like once the approved sites come online?

Harms offered to map the entire city's wireless picture. "We can do the whole city for you guys," she told council.

Council also asked for safety and engineering data, alternative locations on the Jordan campus and potential partnerships involving Katy ISD and city-owned property. Several members said they want the school district more directly involved as Diamond explores options that could reduce concerns from nearby homeowners.

One alternative already on the table involves the school's existing stadium lights. Jordan High has 23 light poles, each about 80 feet tall, Harms said. A preliminary concept would replace one pole with a stronger structure that keeps the lighting and extends above it to support antennas, adding roughly 30 feet above the current light height. That option is still conceptual; it would need engineering review, carrier approval and sign-off from Katy ISD and the city.

Harms also signaled flexibility on height, saying she would take a lower limit back to the carriers if council set one.

Diamond works with the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) through a program called ConnectED and has an agreement covering five Katy ISD high schools. Telecommunications leases through the program can generate revenue for participating districts, Harms said. Katy ISD chose high school campuses because their larger sites and distance from elementary schools made them better candidates, according to Harms.

Council members said at the Sept. 15 meeting that Katy ISD had not held a separate public hearing on the Jordan High location and was not required to do so.

No date has been set for the proposal to return to council. Residents can attend future meetings at Fulshear City Hall, 6611 W. Cross Creek Bend Lane.