The Florida town of St. Lucie West has been adamant in its opposition to allow a cell tower to be built on maintenance facility property at the St. Lucie Trail Golf Club. As TCPalm.com reports, the request from RG Towers was met with unanimous rejection by the City Council. The proposal was a modified version of a project first put forth in 2019. Even after reducing the tower’s height from 150 feet to 120 feet and adding concealing pine boughs, the Florida town was not willing to entertain the RG Towers proposal.
“I voted against this in October of 2019…nothing has changed in my opinion other than reducing the size by 30 feet,” stated Vice Mayor, Shannon Martin. “I don’t know how looking at an artificial tree that stands out in the middle of a community is something that anyone would want to deal with.”
“This [cell tower] is no more stealthy than the proverbial lipstick on a pig,” said St. Lucie resident and board member of the Country Club estates homeowner association, Randy DeFrehn. He continued, “This remains an overwhelming imposition on the existing skyline, creating an unnecessary nuisance to the community without a corresponding value.”
For its part, RG Towers pointed out the great value of better connectivity and the lack of current structures able to help provide it. “Alexa, Ring, your garage doors, your baby monitors, heart monitors and hearing aids; all those things use data and we tend to forget how much data we’re actually using,” noted RG Towers VP Leasing and Operations, Holly Valdez. She added that the strain from the influx of people to the area and demands highlighted by the pandemic suggested the importance of placing a cell tower at this location.
In its rejection of RG Towers’ proposal, the City Council cited the project’s incompatibility with nearby neighborhoods and the Middle-Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. The motion was put forth by City Councilman David Pickett, who happens to represent the district that encompasses the proposed site. According to the source, more than 100 residents showed up at the meeting vocalizing concerns about aesthetics, property values, perceived health risks, and siting, reported TCPalm.com.
The groundswell of negative reaction held sway, overriding support from residents like John Reisinger, who wrote the Council saying he welcomed better digital service. Residents were reminded that nebulous health concerns cannot be addressed, and Council member Stephanie Morgan added that as a realtor, she knows that property values do not plummet with the presence of a cell tower.
It is not known whether RG Towers will continue to campaign for the St. Lucie West cell tower project.
Reader Interactions