Residents Strongly Oppose Proposed Tower

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Even though it would be disguised as a fir tree, residents of Sequim, WA, say that’s not good enough and do not want the cell tower near the Dungeness Heights subdivision. The 150-foot tall tower would specifically be housed inside a fenced 2,500-square-foot area accessible by a 12-foot-side gravel road connected to Brigadoon, according to the Peninsula Daily News.

About 75 people came to the public hearing January 26, to oppose the tower that would house FM broadcast and cellular antennas. The conditional use permit and plans were submitted to the County Department of Community Development, and the permit was being considered at the meeting by William Payne, Clallam County hearing commissioner. Current residents and a future resident building his home a few lots away from the proposed tower cited aesthetics as a main reason for the opposition, which would in effect lower property values. Some said that the Appraisal Journal reports that values would “be reduced around 21 percent after a cell tower [is] built in the neighborhood.”

Ken Hays’ architectural firm designed plans for the looks of the radio/cell tower – which would house both cellular and radio equipment – and Hays said during the meeting “we feel we have more than met the Clallam County code requirements for camouflaging a cell tower north of the highway. I am confident we can recreate something that will be representative and replicate what we see in the surrounding area.” Hays said, “the top 100 feet of the tower would be covered in artificial branches and foliage to camouflage the structure.”

Residents did not agree with the look, saying that the disguise of a fir tree was a “joke.” Reasons cited for the tower included a “crucial infrastructural need for a telecommunications network,” an “aid to public safety agencies by providing a location to mount radio equipment that would allow better signal strength for police and fire personnel in the area,” and also the Clallam County Fire District 3 wants to locate a receiver on the tower, according to Peninsula Daily News. Additionally, T-Mobile has plans to install an antenna at 129-feet above the ground, with other cell companies interested in joining in.

Upon approval, that the tower would also include antennas; electrical and telephone utilities; a 100-square-foot electronic storage shed to house Radio Pacific’s broadcast equipment; two equipment cabinets for T-Mobile; a self-containing backup diesel generator; and two structures that protect the cables running from the storage shed to the tower, according to Peninsula Daily News.

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