The San Rafael Planning Commission stood by its decision to approve a 56-foot cell tower on Old Lucas Valley Road, dismissing an appeal filed by unhappy neighbors. The proposed one-acre site is owned by the Marin Municipal Water District and it is surrounded by 145 acres of property owned by the Marin County Open Space District. Both a water district water tank and a cell tower are already included within that space. The objection to the proposed AT&T Mobility cell tower, reports the Marin Independent Journal, is that it would be visible from nearby Jerry Russom Memorial Park.
Representing the Marin/San Rafael Neighborhood Association, board member John Rojas explained to the Planning Commission that Jerry Russom had fought hard to preserve open space and that the park named in his honor would be compromised by the presence of a cell tower. “The tower that is being proposed is adjacent to that property and it’s very important to us that it stay as pristine as possible,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of AT&T Mobility, consultant Kevin Gallagher explained that a cell tower disguised as a tree was the “least intrusive means of filling the gap” of coverage in an area that is hilly and short on other options. The true height of the antenna is only 49-feet, he noted, with the final few feet simply adding to the visual appeal of the faux foliage.
“That extra height enables it to look like a tree,” he noted, “Without that extra crown, it looks more like a toilet scrubber, really, which doesn’t look good and the eye immediately clocks it as not being a natural silhouette even if you don’t know it’s there.”
Some who argued against the cell tower said that the city had not provided the public with sufficient information before approving the project. Others attempted to claim that the 56-foot height would violate a 36-foot height limitation. City Planner Margaret Kavanaugh-Lynch responded to both concerns. She noted that San Rafael had no requirement to issue reports for zoning administrator hearings. She also advised that the concern about the height limitation was an inaccurate interpretation of city codes.
She further described the proposed site as an ideal choice as a public land use permit was already in place for the old Sprint cell tower. This tower was evaluated, but it was determined that it could not support additional equipment, making the new AT&T cell tower a necessity.
Mont Marin/San Rafael Park Neighborhood Association board member Craig Tackaber told the Journal that better cell service was a good thing but that inserting a cell tower at the selected site was not the right choice. San Rafael Planning Commissioner Samina Saude noted that although she approved of the AT&T cell tower, she would prefer to have just one combined cell tower in the Open Space area and wondered about working towards this goal at some point. However, identifying communications infrastructure as her main concern, she commented, “I will say that Marin has grown significantly since the time of that tower as well and the purchase of that land.”
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