Commission delays vote on cell tower

The Fountain Valley Planning Commission voted 4-0 last week, with one member abstaining, to postpone the vote on whether to grant a conditional use permit for a T-Mobile cell tower at a local church.

The permit, submitted by T-Mobile, would allow for a free-standing wireless cell tower in the form of a 50-foot flagpole to stand on the property of Fountain Valley United Methodist Church at 18225 Bushard St.

The commission also recommended that the City Council approve changing the zone of the church from agricultural to public and institutional to conform to the city’s overall plans for rezoning, a move Planning Director Andy Perea said is unrelated to but affects the cell tower decision.

The commission won’t consider the issue again until after the City Council makes its decision, Perea said.

About 30 residents turned out to voice their opposition at the commission’s July 8 meeting, and 16 of them spoke against the construction.

The Planning Commission told residents to attempt dialogue with the church, a measure Platt said has taken place without any resolution.

The church’s pastor, Dan Nehrbass, however, said the neighbors aren’t willing to negotiate.

— Kathryn Watson