The Astoria City Council met on Tuesday and on the agenda was a new 150-foot Verizon Wireless monopole communications tower to be built in Shively Park, OR. After forester Ron Zilli came forward and shared visual evidence that the cell tower would not look like originally portrayed, the city council denied the project—although it was a close vote of 3-2.
According to DailyAstorian.com, this decision “could potentially undo an agreement between the city and Verizon to move an aging communications tower off Coxcomb Hill near the Astoria Column.” The news site reports that the deal involved a new tower that the city and Verizon would share. Verizon also wanted the monopole at Shively Park to help with wireless coverage on that side of the city. While the Reservoir Ridge project is approved, the fate of the second site is unknown.
While two council members disagreed and thought the Shively Park area was in dire need of the tower, the majority found that initial photos of the monopole were “inaccurate and could have influenced approvals by the Historic Landmarks Commission and Planning Commission.” One council member called the photos “deceptive” and “not compatible with a historic park.”
Zilli argued that the city was biased because of its agreement with Verizon to secure $90,000 to cover the work of the private telecommunications consultant. He said that the monopole would “be out of character and would interfere with views in a tranquil, historic city park. However, the city council, according to DailyAstorian.com, had made it clear last year that the monopole “would have to undergo review by the Historic Landmarks Commission and Planning Commission.”
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