T-Mobile has until Friday to appeal city’s decision

T-Mobile will appeal to the City Council a decision not to allow the company to build a cell tower in a residential neighborhood to fill a coverage gap, officials said.

The company has until Friday to file the appeal.

T-Mobile applied for a conditional use permit to build a 55-foot cell tower disguised as a bell tower on the Community United Methodist Church’s property on Heil Avenue.

The permit was originally approved by the city’s Zoning Administrator, but upset neighbors appealed it to the Planning Commission, which denied the permit. Residents are concerned the tower will adversely impact their health and property values.

Dianne Larson, the original appellant, said residents are waiting to see if T-Mobile will appeal the decision and will keep researching the situation if it does.

The tower is needed to meet customer demand in the area where the company has received complaints about dropped calls and weak signals, said T-Mobile representative Pete Shubin.

“We’ve been as sensitive as we could be to the community, but we still have to provide the service our customers demand,” he said during the Planning Commission meeting.

The commission voted down the permit, finding it detrimental to the general welfare and property values of the neighborhood, aesthetically displeasing and unnecessary to fill a coverage gap.

Joe Thompson, another T-Mobile representative, said he believes the Planning Commission “erred” in its decision. The plans for the tower haven’t changed since the Zoning Administrator’s approval other than to increase the height by 3 feet, Thompson said. The equipment will be underground and the bell tower will be virtually the same, he said.

Residents, however, aren’t convinced. About 10 residents spoke during public comment against the tower and expressed doubts as to whether T-Mobile really needs the tower.

Larson said the residents did their own test and didn’t have any issues with service.

Other residents don’t want to have to look at the cell tower every day, even if it is disguised as a bell tower.

“We’ve spent a lot of time trying to keep this cell tower from being put in our neighborhood,” said neighbor Ron Passmore. “Every day for the rest of our lives, we are going to be looking directly at the cell tower.”