Plans to put a 150-foot cell phone tower up in Massanetta Springs have been halted.

In Wednesday evening's Rockingham County board of supervisors meeting, communications company Shentel was denied a special use permit to begin the project.

Residents cited a number of reasons for why they were not in favor of the 150-foot project. One of the biggest reasons was it would disrupt the view.

Tom Wright, who lives on Steeplechase Drive in Massanetta Springs, says the new tower, which is designed to look like a large flag pole, would have obstructed the view, which is the reason he moved to the area in the first place.

"We moved to the residential zone seven years ago with the understanding that we would have the clear view sheds that we had at the time. And now we're going to have a 150-foot monopole right in our front yard," says Wright.

Curt Schwalbach attended the question and answer meeting Shentel held in the area that would have been affected by the pole, and he says he had no problem getting cell phone service.

"The main thing that I've been saying is I think they should have done an impact study that show how many subscribers are really affected by the deadzone. My carrier is Verizon Wireless, and I was having no issues whatsoever with cell service," says Schwalbach.

The proposal says the 150 foot poll would be able to sustain winds of up to 70 miles per hour, but after heavy winds swept the Valley this past weekend, Schwalbach says you can add safety concerns to his reasons why the pole is a bad idea.

Representatives from Shentel were at the meeting and although they didn't speak about the project, they did raise their hands when asked who was in favor of the projects. The board says Shentel will be able to look at less obtrusive options and submit them at a later date.