Let’s talk about this massive Olympic torch-shaped cellphone tower that was planned for south Charlotte

You know those fake trees that are actually cellphone towers? You may have seen the one off of I-485 in south Charlotte. It looks ridiculous, towering way above the rest of the trees. It’s trying to blend in and failing miserably. Nothing to see here. Just a normal old tree, doin’ tree things. Nope. We see right through you.

Now, instead of a tree, imagine a 200-foot tall Olympic torch doubling as a cellphone tower. Well, you don’t really have to imagine too much. I’ve got the rendering right here, because this is a thing that was planned for south Charlotte.

Look at it. Isn’t it majestic, with its five iconic rings reaching high into the sky? Look at how it towers above the surrounding trees, standing tall and proud, not trying to blend in.

But it may never be built.

Observer development reporter Ely Portillo reported Monday that the U.S. Performance Center withdrew plans to build an athletics and training facility on the campus of Jay M. Robinson Middle School. The Olympics-oriented training center, which would have sat on 50 acres in south Charlotte, would have included:

– A 60,000 square-foot building with an 18,000 square-foot weight room.

– A nutrition center.

– An indoor sports dome with a track and batting cages.

– Baseball fields.

– Basketball courts.

– Tennis courts.

– Outdoor fields.

– A fitness trail.

– And that glorious, Olympic torch-inspired cellphone tower.

Opponents to this plan have some fairly reasonable arguments, like how the heck it would fit into an area filled with shopping centers and homes, and the $1 per year, 50-year lease Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the U.S. Performance Center agreed to. (Jay M. Robinson students and staff would have gotten to use the training facilities for free, though.)

But forget all that. We need this Olympic torch cellphone tower. It would be iconic. It could replace the Disco Chicken (OK, “Firebird” statue) on all of the Charlotte’s Got A Lot marketing materials. Think of all the Instagram posts. This could put Charlotte on the map. Move over, world’s largest standing lion sculpture — the giant Olympic torch is here.

There’s still a chance it could happen. The developers could submit new plans for the site. Maybe one day the Olympic torch cellphone tower will become a reality and light the way for Charlotte’s future.

Rendering: Filed by U.S. Performance Center as part of a rezoning request.

This story was originally published September 12, 2016 at 10:02 PM with the headline "Let’s talk about this massive Olympic torch-shaped cellphone tower that was planned for south Charlotte."