A proposal for an 80-foot tower was denied by the City Council in Moscow City, Idaho on January 7, 2019, Moscow-Pullman Daily News reported. ProLand LLC appealed the Moscow Board of Adjustment’s rejection of their conditional use permit request in November, but the City Council sided with the Board and supported its decision to deny the permit.
The tower site was proposed to be in a residential neighborhood near a local church, and although the tower would be designed to look like a tree, the council sited aesthetic reasons for their refusal to approve the permit. According to Councilor Brandy Sullivan, residents and council members are troubled by the tower being 200 percent taller than the 30-foot houses nearby, and 40 percent higher than the tallest tree close by.
Councilor Gina Taruscio said she appreciated the applicant’s effort to have the tower resemble a tree, but also said, “that is not a characteristic of that neighborhood at all, and so it stands out as an eyesore.” The permit application was in compliance will all of the city’s development standards, according to City Planner Leah Carlson.
Regardless, residents in the area spoke out against the proposal based on health concerns, property values lowering, potential noise levels, and most of all, aesthetic reasons. According to the Daily News, the tower would support three carriers, and T-Mobile has already signed up to be one of them. ProLand LLC’s representative, Richard Busch, said this site is the only usable one, and he discussed how community improvements always result in some aesthetic impact. Busch said, “You have electric power transmission lines along Mountain View Road. You drive past them, you see them, but people recognize them as part of the community.”
ProLand LLC will be permitted to appeal the council’s decision to Idaho’s 2nd Judicial District Court, according to City Supervisor Gary Riedner.
January 11, 2019
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