The Mathews County Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend that the restriction on placing telecommunications facilities in non-tidal wetlands and in the Residential-2 zoning districts be removed from the zoning ordinance.

The Mathews County Board of Supervisors is expected to take up this matter when it meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Harry M. Ward Auditorium at Mathews High School.

The Mathews County Broadband Advisory Board requested this text amendment change. According to staff documents, the broadband board, “in consultation with zoning staff, recognizes that the ideal location for a new telecom structure or facility may be in an area of non-tidal wetlands, given how pervasive they are across the county. Also, a new telecom structure may need to be located in the Residential-2 district, particularly to provide coverage to Gwynn’s Island.”Planners agreed that the presence of more towers in underserved locations would be beneficial for local students in Mathews who...