Lake Forest Council Seeks Fixes For Wireless Dead Zones

LAKE FOREST, IL — Lake Forest officials are weighing zoning changes and additional infrastructure options as complaints about poor wireless service continue across the city.

At last Monday’s City Council meeting, staff updated the council on ongoing efforts to improve coverage and discussed areas where service remains weak or unavailable. Mayor Stanford Tack said the city is hearing growing frustration from residents.

“We know that wireless service in many parts of the community is not acceptable, and in fact, it's getting worse, not better,” Tack said.

According to Director of Community Development Catherine Czerniak, the 160-foot Compost Center Tower is about 76% complete. Construction is expected in early November, with installation by the end of the year. Verizon is expected to be the first provider to locate there, followed by AT&T and T-Mobile, which are expected to relocate from the city water tower in the first quarter of 2027.

The council also reviewed coverage maps showing “red” areas with minimal to no service, especially in the southwest quadrant and along the lakefront. According to the city update, distributed antennas, also known as small cells, are being deployed but provide only microservice and need to be close to larger sites to work effectively.

City officials also noted a limit on the city’s role, as it can facilitate infrastructure through zoning, but it does not control or provide the wireless service itself.

Residents described how unreliable service is affecting daily life.

“It is horrible in our neighborhood, and we have multiple people who use different carriers. Our neighborhood has a lot of elderly people who rely on their cell phone as their one phone, and so when that doesn't work, it is a huge concern. Calls are dropped, calls are unclear, and service is slow everywhere,” one resident said at the meeting.

Some residents raised a different concern, asking the city to preserve community character and gather more information before committing to large towers.

After the discussion, the City Council directed the Plan Commission to consider amendments to the Zoning Code related to wireless infrastructure, particularly near Everett and Waukegan Roads, where significant service gaps remain. The council also directed staff to keep working with wireless service providers to explore ways to improve coverage, quality and capacity throughout Lake Forest.

The Plan Commission is expected to hold a public hearing on the issue in December. The exact meeting date will be announced once it is confirmed and public notice will be provided.