SAGUACHE COUNTY — Villa Grove is a small town of about 30 residents on Highway 285 in northern Saguache County. In 2024, after the Saguache County Board of County Commissioners approved a land use application from Mountain Tower and Land LLC and Tower West LLC (Viaero) to construct a 195-foot cell tower near the center of this small hamlet, many residents were outraged.  

Almost one-third of the residents filed a lawsuit against the Saguache County Board of County Commissioners in Saguache County District Court, seeking the county to make the land use application null and void. The plaintiffs also sought “a declaration that construction of the facility is not compatible with the surrounding area as currently constituted and that the BOCC did not comply with the requirements of the Land Use Code in approving the Land Use Application and adopting the resolution."  

In early February, District Judge Amanda Hopkins ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, vacating the land use permit and mandating the county to reconsider the original application. 

The county planning commission has scheduled a work session and meeting to discuss the issue on Thursday, March 27, at 2 and 5 p.m., respectively, at the Saguache County Road and Bridge Meeting Room. The public is invited to attend. 

In a March 13 letter to Saguache County Commissioners, Industrial Tower West, LLC, and Mountain Tower LLC stated, "Viaero's Facility is necessary, compliant, and vital for public safety and local economic activity. The remand provides an opportunity to reaffirm and further explain approval while ensuring adherence to the Land Use Code's procedural requirements. We appreciate the BOCC's continued attention to this matter and look forward to working together to secure a positive resolution." 

The tower has been constructed, local resident and plaintiff to the lawsuit Paula Maez said, "The tower is 195 feet of metal monstrosity. Even our trees, the tallest things in town, are only about 60 feet high. We feel our commissioners were not listening to us or their own land code. That 195-foot monstrosity just doesn't fit in here." 

According to Maez, although the tower has been constructed, it is not yet in use.