Last week, the Stockton City Council voted to deny the appeal of a resident who claimed a proposed 75-foot tower would impact views and aesthetics. Recordnet.com reported that the tower, proposed by Diamond Communications, was approved by the Stockton Planning Commission in July 2018. However, resident Mary Elizabeth filed an appeal, stating the tower would ruin the downtown’s aesthetics., claifornia,
Diamond Communications already owns a tower used by T-Mobile that is located on top of a water tank. The tank is scheduled for demolition. According to Brett Jolley, the attorney representing Diamond Communications, the company, “needed to find an appropriate location to put its facility so it can continue to maintain the same coverage.”
The new tower location is in an industrial area which one resident pointed out. “If you look across the water, there’s that big old ship, and it will always be a port,” one resident said. “It will always be very industrial. I feel because it is an industrial area, I don’t see the difference between a big old ship and a tower…”
Councilman Jesus Andrade suggested the tower could double as a piece of art. “If there’s something else you can do — maybe with the arts commission or the arts community — about how you can beautify those panels…make it into something unique or pleasing for travelers as they’re going down I-5,” he said. “Looking at it right now, it does look like something out of Star Wars.”
Recordnet.com noted that typically, telecommunications companies avoid turning towers into pieces of art due to hindering the main function of the tower – delivering wireless service.
December 10, 2018
Reader Interactions