City to hear cell tower plans

Plans for a T-Mobile cell tower to be built in a residential neighborhood that has residents up in arms will go back before the Zoning Administrator on Wednesday.

The cell tower would be on the Community United Methodist Church’s property on Heil Avenue. The tower would be about 150 feet from residential houses, according to a city staff report.

Residents are circulating a petition against the tower that has more than 200 signatures, said neighbor John Anderson. The church originally went before the Zoning Administrator on Sept. 30 for a conditional use permit and again on Oct. 28.

“What concerns us about the cell tower is it’s going to be put in real close to a lot of our houses,� Anderson said. “We just feel like there are more appropriate places for this cell phone tower.�

T-Mobile spokesman Rod De La Rosa said the tower is being built to meet customer demands.

“In making our decision on where to locate a new site, T-Mobile undertakes a rigorous engineering analysis of available coverage and future expansion needs,� he said.

Some people are concerned about health dangers.

“I don’t want to get cancer,� said Dianne Larson, a resident near the church. “I watched my sister die of cancer.�

Despite residents’ concerns, the city has found that the tower “will not be detrimental to the general welfare of persons working or residing in the vicinity,� according to the report.

Residents have been picketing while churchgoers go into service.

“We’re hoping the church will see what an uproar this has made in the community and stop it,� Anderson said.

The project will go back before the zoning administration at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in room B-8 at the Civic Center.

— Britney Barnes