Massive cell towers planned for Sedona and Cottonwood residential communities
Sedona AZ (November 27, 2012) – In a Letter to the SedonaEye.com Editor, Village of Oak Creek resident Elaine Brown writes that the communities of Sedona Pines Resort, Sedona Arizona and Verde Village, Cottonwood, Arizona are now slated for massive AT&T cell towers after a majority vote by Yavapai County Planning and Zoning, unless citizen participation at the December 17, 2012 Yavapai County Board of Supervisors meeting impacts the outcome.
Brown also notes that the owners of a cell tower on a leased Sedona Village of Oak Creek rooftop recently received a Yavapai County modification for undisclosed expansion, without any public notice or comment:
Neighbors and Friends:
I attended the Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Meeting on November 21, 2012 to speak against the proposal of two new AT&T cell towers in our Yavapai County area. The Planning and Zoning Commission will make a recommendation to approve to our County Supervisors who will make a final decision at their Supervisors meeting on December 17th, 2012 in Cottonwood.
Agenda: http://www.yavapai.us/meetings/board-of-supervisors-schedule/
Before I go into the details, you need to know that when you speak at a cell tower application, nothing that you say about environment can be used to base a decision on the approval or denial because a Congressional Act put into place in 1996 forbids it.
Sec 704. Facilities Siting; Radio Frequency Emission Standards of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
You could spend the entire public comment period talking about the effect of microwaves on children’s brains or animals or plants, trees… All the health data that is already out there, the fact that most of us are living here because environment is a passion…sorry. Microwaves pollute the air…. no, sorry.
If you do say too much about environment or health, a county employee will stand up and read the part of the Sec 704 relating to State and Local Government.
You see: (iv) No State or local government or instrumentality thereof may regulate the placement, construction, and modification of personal wireless service facilities on the basis of the environmental effects of radio frequency emissions to the extent that such facilities comply with the Commission’s regulations concerning such emissions.
Yavapai County’s hands are tied. This is happening throughout the United States. There are things that State and local Government can control but our ordinances are outdated and not protective enough.
We recently had a “modification” of an existing stealth tower in the VOC (Sedona Arizona) and because of a Planning and Zoning ordinance, an Administrative Review with no public comment was allowed. No one was informed about this in our Village, not a homeowner or a business or even our organized groups. This cell tower with an unknown expansion of new antennas is leased roof top space for the next 30 years. It impedes the view of Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte, which I can complain about. Just not my environment.
NEW BUSINESS:
6. Wireless Use Permit; APN: 408-29-002W; HA# H12090
Applicant: Clear Blue Services for AT&T
Project Name: AT&T Sedona Pines YA74
Request: Consideration of a Wireless Use Permit to allow for the construction and operation of a new 99’ mom-pine tower with equipment shelters on a leased area of 30’ x 20’ on an approximate 14.68 acre parcel in a RCU-2A (Rural, Residential, single family, 2 acre minimum lot size) zoning district. The applicant is also requesting waivers of fall-zone requirements and setback requirements along with a waiver of new wireless facilities being built within 1,000 ft. of residences. The property is located north of West State Route 89A and approximately 1125’ northeast of the intersection of Cottona Way and S.R. 89A within the Sedona Pines Resort west of the City of Sedona. S19 T17N R05E G&SRB&M Staff: Nicole Russell
There were a couple of letters against and for. There were two people that spoke in opposition including myself. The other woman spoke on the related health issues. She was spot on, accurate, concerned about everyone in the path of the microwaves. Sorry.
I asked if waiving a fall zone would be a violation of the fifth amendment – no taking of property or property rights for public use without compensation- after all it could fall. I asked them to check with the County attorney. The commission asked about the liability of the tower falling.
The AT&T Tower rep from Clear Blue Services stated that the engineer who designed the tree would assume all liability. We were never given the name of this engineer.
I asked that the 1,000 feet not be waived. We have such few ordinances to protect us. Distance is our key to safety.
This property is located on the Scenic 89a Corridor from Sedona to Cottonwood.
It is not compatible with our brand new Yavapai County Comprehensive Plan. There were no other options presented, just the requests to remove the few ordinances we have to keep the towers at a safe distance.
There is an existing 80 ft. flagpole cell tower in this same vicinity. There is no room for collocation. The proposed pine tower will be 99 ft.
They were approved for recommendation just at it is written: 5 for and 3 against.
7. Wireless Use Permit; APN: 406-46-330A; HA# H12089
Applicant: Clear Blue Services for AT&T
Project Name: AT&T Verde Village YA72
Request: Consideration of a Wireless Use Permit to allow for the construction and operation of a new 90’ mono-pine tower with equipment shelters on a leased area of 30’ x 20’ with an 8’ chain link fence with 3-strand barbed wire on an approximate .3 acre parcel in a C2-3 (Commercial; General Sales and Services) zoning district. The applicant is also requesting waivers of fall-zone requirements, solid screening requirements along with a waiver of new wireless facilities being built within 1,000 ft. of residences. The property is located approximately 486’ north of the intersection of E. Western Dr. and S. Village Dr. and approx. 470’ east of S. State Route 260 in the Verde Village Community. S13 T15N R03E G&SRB&M Staff: Nicole Russell
We were given no details on this 90 ft. pine cell tower.
There is residential area that sits right behind the commercial section.
The proposed tower would sit 120 feet from a residential duplex.
It was approved for recommendation as it is written: 5 for and 3 against.
December 17th, 2012 will set the tone for International tourist destination Sedona and all of the Verde Valley and Yavapai County with regard to future cell tower placement. If we lose our distance – we lose our safety.
Please mark the date and plan to attend. The stakes are high. Don’t expect that others will come forward and do it for you. Participation is key.
Please write to your County Supervisor and let them know how you feel in the form of a complaint. The complaints will be sent to all three Supervisors in advance of the meeting for review.
Complaints can be about distance, safety, historic and scenic reasons, tourism, County Plan adherence, etc. You may also write about environment and health, it just cannot be used to base a decision. If there are experts out there, we need your help.
You may email all three Supervisors:
- Carol Springer web.bos.district1@yavapi.us
- Thomas Thurman web.bos.district2@yavapi.us
- Chip Davis web.bos.district3@yavapai.us
Sincerely,
Elaine Brown Village of Oak Creek Sedona Arizona 86351
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4G Towers, Wi-Fi in Schools and Body to Body Networks, 03-02-12 (WTBQ Political Roundtable)
Deborah Kopald with Randy Braun (fighting a 4G cell tower in a residential neighborhood in the Hudson Valley) and David Morrison (fighting for removal of Wi-Fi in public schools) discussing inappropriately sited transmitters.
https://vimeo.com/50166260
The email addresses for the Yavapai County Supervisors listed in the article are incorrect. Correct addresses are as follows:
Carol Springer – web.bos.district1@co.yavapai.az.us
Thomas Thurman – web.bos.district2@co.yavapai.az.us
Chip Davis – web.bos.district3@co.yavapai.az.us
This sickens me and plenty of others. Ruin our health AND OUR WEALTH by sticking this (deleted) thing in Sedona. Plenty of places in the desert to put these monstrosities that they don’t need to be in our backyards. These elected officials bend over to APS and ATT and let the taxpayers get the shaft while they take money out of our pockets and stuff our money in their own, including the officials that got back in (Davis is a good guy – his vote on the Prescott development piece was a stand up for the people not one person vote). And I’m speaking for more than myself on the cell towers – this was a topic at Sunday breakfast for eight of us – thanks to this publication for keeping us informed.
Ron, your remarks remind me of the manner in which the City of Sedona is sticking it to “selected” residents and businesses presently on sewer who are now paying the price prescribed in the outrageous revised fee schedule. Yep, sock it to the taxpayers. BINGO!
Hi:
Either address will work , the recently updated address is in the letter. Thank you for helping to keep this moving forward. The Supervisors AGENDA for 12/17/2012 meeting in Cottonwood will be published on the previous Thursday. please check http://www.yavapai.us/meetings/board-of-supervisors-schedule/
@Elaine – No, the addresses supplied in your article do not work and caused my emails to the supervisors to be returned as undeliverable. The addresses I supplied above are the correct ones as listed at the Yavapai County website.
So Sorry. You are correct. I left the ‘a’ out of the first two in Yavapai. It should read @yavapai.us – Either address will work as long as you spell Yavapai correctly. Please note. Please write!
good politicians don’t take their cities and neighborhoods residential tax base down the toilet hole
http://northbaltimore.patch.com/articles/council-considers-cell-phone-tower-ban
Found this on You Tube and wanted to post it and then others can see the true reason behind APS and its mouthpieces Smart Meter push – billions of dollars worth of subsidies giving more profit. Dave K.
http://youtu.be/MAid1bS8t9U
Thank you, Elaine, for the information. I live in Sunset Hills, adjacent to Sedona Shadows, and just learned about the cell tower this week. The plot for the cell tower is already being leveled, and it’s clear that AT&T has no doubt that it will be approved. I am appalled at what this will do – we will wind up with a huge structure right at the entrance to our community, blocking what is now a lovely view of Doe Mountain. You say the county’s hands are tied, but they do not have to approve the zoning waivers. They also can require the company to demonstrate that there are no less obtrusive ways to provide the service. Did AT&T offer any evidence that they explored alternatives?
http://www.yavapai.us/meetings/board-of-supervisors-schedule/
The schedule is posted. Please plan to attend.
Thanks.
Elaine
From: Elaine Brown
Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2012 11:28 AM
To: web.bos.district3
Subject: Cell Tower Placement in Yavapai County
Supervisor Davis and Joan:
Hi.
The last thing we want to do is fight exhaustive battles over each cell tower application that comes in. There will be more in 2013. We need to develop a Master Plan for Verde Valley and Yavapai County with input by all the intergovernmental groups with regards to future placement. The demand for these towers are increasing and will continue to increase. We are all impacted and interconnected here in the Verde Valley. All roads lead to tourism. Do we have anything like this in place? If not maybe a moratorium on all towers while we develop our plan.
If we scheduled this subject at one of the intergovernmental meetings that take place here in the Verde Valley, we could start dialog. There could be valuable input from tourism, wine industry, resident, business and yes the cell tower applicants too. Given the millions of potential cell customers that visit us, it would be to the benefit of the wireless carriers to be a part of the planning process. That is why we are unique and require a deeper look.
If we come up with a Master plan it will take the burden off the various government entities and keep our Vally a desirable international tourist destination.
The environment is our business, that is not the same as basing a decision on environment, it is basing a decision on an environmental business.
Take a look below at states that are saturated with towers and the look at AZ. This is a defining moment . It is the same as our dark skies. We are one of the last to have it and it requires work.
We are still able to do something to protect future safety and business for all regarding cell tower placement.
http://www.celltowerinfo.com/WirelessTelecommunicationMasterPlan.htm
http://www.celltowerinfo.com/CellTowerLocationMapsIndex.htm
Thank You.
Elaine Brown
Just received notice from Yavapai County Supervisor Thurman that the cell tower applications have been withdrawn by the applicant.
From: DeShannan Young
To: ‘Elaine’
Cc: Chris Moran
Subject: RE: Cell Tower Placement in Yavapai County
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:21:49 -0700
Elaine, we would like you to know that both the cell tower agenda items have been cancelled for Monday’s meeting. Can you please help me get the word out?
DeShannan Young
Secretary Senior for
A. G. “Chip” Davis
District 3 Supervisor
(928) 639-8110
Cancelled!!!Both proposed cell tower agenda items have been WITHDRAWN from the Supervisors agenda on December 17, 2012. Please spread the word.
Thanks for printing my letters and keeping people informed.
Elaine
From: Thomas Thurman
To: Thomas Thurman
Cc: Vicki Gray
Subject: FW: ATT Cell Towers Agenda Item Withdrawn
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2012 13:43:01 -0700
____________________________________________________________
Good afternoon,
Please find attached two withdrawal letters from Clear Blue Services for the cell tower applications in Sedona & Verde Village listed on Monday, December 17, 2012 Board of Supervisors agenda.
Thank you,
Barbara Thomas on behalf of Supervisor Tom Thurman
District 2
(Note from SedonaEye.com Editor: We will publish the series of letters received in a separate article.)
Today, we heard from the County Commissioner Thurman’s office that the applications have been WITHDRAWN! Good work.
Ho, Ho, Ho . . . a gift from Santa Claus for Christmas??
got a call from 2 neighbors w/news in phone tree/proof this is place to get news out to people & that take action! thanks elain brown & sedonaeye & hats off to supervisor davis. keep up good work. Tim (Cottonwood AZ)
All our opposition paid off!
Comment via Facebook
I love the Sedona area . I will tell you from my experience With the blatant disrespect utility companies have for all living things, you must keep them out of your vacinity grom the get go as much as possible or you will end up with twenty eight cell towers in a three mile radius, like they have done without restriction in central florida.