POINT LOMA – Some residents are pushing back at plans by AT&T to install a 30-foot “faux eucalyptus” cell tower with 12 antennas, 9 radio units and a large ground equipment box.
Those opposed to the proposal, at 2315 Soto St. on public land in Collier Park, have requested that the city deny a conditional use permit for it in its fenced-off area. They’re arguing that public land is inappropriate to build a new cell tower on, disguised or not, contending it should be used for another purpose.
Disguising cell towers as trees, often eucalyptus or other types, helps them blend into the landscape, making them less noticeable and reducing the feeling of visual clutter. Faux trees are primarily used to address public concerns about visual pollution and to make towers more acceptable in residential areas.
These disguises help mitigate the aesthetic impact of cell towers, which can be perceived as eyesores, especially in areas where they might clash with the surrounding environment.
Eric Law, chair of the Peninsula Community Planning Board, speaking for himself, said residents oppose the cell tower project for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that some view Collier Park as a sacrosanct recreational community resource.
Law noted AT&T, a publicly traded company, not a public utility, is seeking to upgrade its 5G telecommunications system in the area.
“What they (AT&T) do is look for new tower locations with frequency mapping,” he said. “They do this with a predictive model showing transmissions. They figure out, through signal density mapping using a bunch of different criteria, where you’re going to get the best signals.”
Law said residents in opposition to the tower cite several reasons. “There are those who are worried about the health effects from cell tower radiation,” he noted. “There is still some substantial debate over what cell tower transmissions do to the blood-brain barrier. Others don’t want a cell tower in a park where children and people play. Then some just don’t want the eyesore of a metal eucalyptus tree.”
According to the American Cancer Society website, “At this time, there’s no strong evidence that exposure to RF waves from cell phone towers causes any noticeable health effects. However, this does not mean that the RF waves from cell phone towers have been proven to be absolutely safe. Most expert organizations agree that more research is needed to help clarify this, especially for any possible long-term effects.”
Law added others in Ocean Beach don’t want a cell tower put in immediately adjacent to the community’s garden and near the Point Loma Native Plant Garden.
“If you know anything about Collier Park and the history of the Peninsula, you know that Collier was originally deeded as a park for kids, and that the original Collier land grant was huge compared to what is today,” Law said.
“Collier used to encompass where Correia Middle School is, Calvary Chapel Point Loma on Valeta and Soto, and parts of the Famosa Slough.”
Law pointed out that the city’s seizing portions of the park’s original land grant over time and using it for other purposes has left a bad taste in some residents’ mouths.
“The city has incrementally taken chunks out of what used to be this great open space that was supposed to be preserved for kids,” he said. “That’s pretty ‘tone deaf’ given the history of Collier Park, which is an iconic part of OB.”
AT&T and MD7, consultants for digital infrastructure who are working with AT&T, did not respond to requests for comment from the Peninsula Beacon.
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