UPDATE Earlier this month, the Washoe County Board of Adjustment approved a special use permit for a 117-foot monopole, proposed by Incline Partners LLC. Now, residents have filed an appeal, arguing the structure will, “fundamentally change the neighborhood,” according to the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
Residents cited health concerns, the obstruction of scenic views and destruction to the neighborhood’s character in opposition to the tower.
Kristina Hill, the only board member who resides in Incline Village, voted against the project. She could not agree with the finding that the tower will not be detrimental to the neighborhood, reported the Tribune.
“In my opinion, it’s out of scope,” Hill said, adding that her research determined that the tower would be the tallest structure in all of Incline Village. “It’s just too big.” Hill, along with many residents believe the tower is, “a bad solution to a non-existent problem.”
There were some proponents of the tower, though, noting current service levels in Incline Village are not sufficient, especially during peak tourist times.
“The Lake Tahoe region…receives about 15 million visitors in a year. A portion of those visitors spend their vacation in Incline Village. When this occurs, local residents and first responders experience reduced bandwidth…An easy way to alleviate this is to add an additional cell tower to add capacity to this area,” Heidi Hill Drum, Tahoe Prosperity Center CEO, wrote in the letter.
According to Incline Partners, the tower should hold up to four antennas and Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile have already expressed interest. Incline Partners said carriers would not be interested in investing to locate their antennas on a proposed tower if better service was not needed.
April 30, 2019
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