Verizon “Pine Tree” Proposal Needles Santa Maria Locals

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Verizon wants to build a disguised pine tree tower in Santa Maria’s Rotary Centennial Park, but residents are ready for battle. According to the Santa Maria Times, the Wednesday, August 17, planning commission meeting was so “emotionally charged,” that the commission has continued the request.

The issue hits close to home for one commissioner, Gayle Pratt, who lives 1,000 feet from the proposed location. According to law, if she lived 500 feet away, she wouldn’t have even been able to be a part of the discussion, which included other residents concerned with the city leasing public space to a private company, according to the Times. Additionally, about 10 residents voiced concerns at the meeting over possible safety and RF concerns, aesthetics, a “sacred” area being tainted and a three-minute time limit per person at the podium during the public forum. The Times reported that some “made frequent outbursts during the proceedings.”  

While residents also were upset about how they were notified about the tower, Santa Maria Planning Division Manager Peter Gilli said at the meeting that “his department followed all of the requirements in notifying the residents who live near Rotary Centennial Park.” Additionally, since the application had been continued and the meeting reschedule from a previous meeting earlier this year the planning department also handed out additional fliers regarding this meeting’s date to all property owners within 300 feet of the proposed location.

Pete Shuge of Sequoia Development Services was at the meeting as a representative of Verizon. He said that the tower would not only improve service, but the site complies with FCC standards. If Verizon builds the tower, the city would receive rent payments. The Times did not report the monetary amount of these payments.

The panel agreed that other residents may want to speak, so the motion passed to continue the discussion to October 5. The Times noted that commissioners instructed the planning department to repeat the required notification process before the October meeting.

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