The Lompoc City Council on Nov. 18 denied a resident’s appeal against Verizon installing a 50-foot tall cell tower in a northwestern residential neighborhood, opting instead to move forward with the city’s plan to expand cell phone coverage.
City resident Phillip Gallanders filed an appeal after the planning commission approved the cell tower project on Oct. 8. The tower is slated to be erected in a city-owned utility space on North V Street, but Gallanders wanted to have the tower moved to a different location—one that’s further away from his house—or, at least, try to persuade the council to first conduct an environmental impact study.
The council dedicated more than an hour of debate to the agenda item during the Nov. 18 meeting, hearing arguments from both a Verizon representative, an attorney hired by the company, and several residents who were either in favor or against the plan.
Chief among Gallanders’ concerns: The tower—which would be disguised as either a fake pine or eucalyptus tree—could lower property values in the neighborhood. Other worried residents feared that the radio frequency emissions would negatively impact their health.
“It will reduce property values,” said the 65-year-old Gallanders during the hearing’s public comment period. “I do not, not, want this to happen.”
Kurt Latipow, Lompoc’s Fire Chief, said the new tower will drastically improve the communications capability of emergency responders.
Attorney Paul Albritton, advocating for Verizon, told the City Council that the tower is safe, non-intrusive, and that it was a liability for the city to deny installation because it’s legally obligated to avoid a “significant gap” in coverage to the area.
After a carefully weighed decision before a nearly full chamber, the council unanimously agreed to deny Gallanders’ appeal.
Needless to say, Gallanders is disappointed and plans to hold more community meetings to discuss the next course of action.
This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 3, 2014.