Commissioners Seek More Details on Controversial Cell Tower

Members of the planning commission asked an applicant seeking to build a cell phone tower within a 65-foot tall faux pine tree in Bernal Corporate Park to provide more details on the project as opposition continued from residents living near the proposed site.

The commission's unanimous vote Wednesday sets the issue up for further discussion at a Nov. 10 meeting, when representatives from Verizon Wireless will be expected to clarify portions of their proposal.

The proposed site, at 6890 Koll Center Parkway, is the only feasible location for the cell phone tower because it is the most southern location that will bolster coverage for the neighborhoods of Highland Oaks, Oak Hill, Foothill Knolls, Laguna Oaks, Valley Trails and Del Prado, according to Mark Lobaugh, the applicant.  The city recently hired a third-party wireless expert to evaluate the possibility of moving the tower to another site.

That expert, Peter Gruchawka, said the coverage maps submitted by Verizon staff lacked the technical information he needed for analysis such as signal-to-noise ratio.  Lobaugh said he would provide the information at the next commission meeting, adding that his staff could not meet Gruchawka's requests at Wednesday's meeting because they did not receive them until last week.

Controversy over the cell phone tower dates back to April, when city staff began discussions with residents living close to the site.  Since then, the plan has met stiff opposition from a group of Corte Monterey residents, 16 of whom signed a formal petition that was submitted to the planning commission at its Sept. 22 meeting.  The residents also submitted a formal protest letter to the commissioners.

"As neighbors, we are uniformly against allowing the cell tower in this location," the residents stated in the letter.  "As local citizens, we expect to continue to be active in the hearings and decisions forthcoming.  We believe there are better options for placement that do not put us at risk."

Also at that meeting, members of the commission asked Lobaugh and his staff to explore moving the site south or southeast and provide photo simulations of what the faux tree would look like from different vantage points.

Lobaugh returned to the commission Wednesday to reiterate his stand that the site could not be moved. Stephano Iachella, an engineer from Verizon Wireless, also said that the site could not be moved because underground utility lines were in place.

"It's nearly impossible to find another site like this," said Lobaugh.  "It's an ideal site that's well-situated within a fenced compound."

He  provided photos of  faux trees and photo simulations of what the proposed pine tree would look like from a trail behind Corte Monterey homes.

The sample photos, however, did not have two proposed microwave dishes that would be built on the tree.  According to Lobaugh, the microwave dishes would be "pretty well obscured" within the faux tree's branches and would be covered by an "antenna sock" outfitted with pine needles.

"This is the Cadillac of monopines," he said, referring to the technical name for the faux tree. "The color and design for it is for a stealth structure, not an overbearingly ugly tower."

Resident Gerry Gire said during the public input session that she was pleased a third-party expert was hired because residents are dissatisfied with what she called "limited information provided to us from Verizon."

"The neighborhood has a parklike beauty," said Gire, who lives northeast of the proposed site.  "We don't want to see this in our beautiful community."

Other residents voiced complaints about Lobaugh's photo simulations, arguing that they still would be able to see the tree tower from anywhere on their property, and not just from the trail behind their residences.

Resident Nancy Wedge said she enjoys her view of redwoods from her back yard but is worried about the faux tree spoiling the landscape.

"I ask the commission members how they would feel if they saw that beautiful view for 20 years and then it changed," she said during the public input session.

At Wednesday's meeting, resident Lori Hansen repeated comments she made at the Sept. 22 commission meeting, telling the commission that she is selling her home and has been worried about her property possibly being devalued if the facility were built at the site.

Commissioner Kathy Narum said she also was worried about drastic changes in landscape as the weather turns.

"My question is will this tree look way different among other trees once fall comes and the leaves start coming off of everything?"

Members of the planning commission will be looking for more photo simulations, including samples of the mounted microwave dishes, at its Nov. 10 meeting.