Call to Action
Thank you for your interest in helping stop the continued expansion of commercial cellular antenna farms in residentially zoned neighborhoods in Los Altos and greater Santa Clara County.
Unchecked Commercial Development
As you may be aware, there has been continued commercial development of a cellular antenna farm at the Jackson residence at 1721 Whitham Avenue, Los Altos, CA. What is alarming to neighbors is the extent of this commercial development concentrated in a residential neighborhood. There are currently three 25-30′ towers mounted with antennae of four cellular carriers.
And Now Even More?
You would think that three towers would be enough for one neighborhood. The Marshall and Nadja Jackson Family Trust operates these towers for personal commercial benefit and has now signed a lease with Verizon and applied to the County for a variance to add an additional 5 story tower mounted with nine antennae. This structure will dwarf everything around it.
According to the County of Santa Clara Planning Department, in the entire county this is the only such high density commercial operation centered in a residential community.
And Even More to Come in the Future…
Mr. Jackson has communicated to the neighbors that he has no intention of foregoing his “right” to future development. Further, if one cellular carrier gets a 5 story tower, then the government is obliged to permit the other carriers to upgrade their towers to similar height. According to the Planning Department other communications companies are already inquiring about how to get in on the action!
Are You Concerned About This Precedent?
The County of Santa Clara has continued to grant variances (exceptions to the zoning rules) to allow additional development at this site. Each new variance has been based not on the rules, but on the fact that a variance was granted last time. The proposed tower was approved by the planning commission in this fashion. This precedent alters the residential zoning ordinance to include such commercial development as the norm and paves the way for this zoning precedent to be applied in other neighborhoods in the county.
Stop Commercial Development in Residential Neighborhoods Now!
If you are concerned about the destruction of the residential character of the San Antonio Hills community, or the potential spread of such development to your neighborhood, join us in our protest to the Santa Clara Country Zoning Commission.
Take action! Click on the links in the column at the right or at the top of the page to see what you can do.
I think you are overreacting. The property in question is where few people would actually drive/walk by so I doubt many people even see these towers.
Those of us who live here do notice it. Further, all the best locations are used up by the other three towers. This fourth one is going to be front and center, and bigger than the existing towers in every way. Then the existing towers will want to get in on the action and go higher.
Three towers is more than enough. We’ve done our part for the cellular communication infrastructure.
Well,
you’re neighbor won’t be your problem, it’ll be Verizon Wireless and with it the whole industry.
About 2 months back I got to stand very near a cell phone tower on the premises of the “Highland Ministries” in San Bruno. They set up a tower right next to a playground. Within 2 to 3 minutes I got a very strong headache. If I’d live on your street I’d hence worry less about esthetics.
Interesting articles in this context can be found here:
http://www.sfbg.com/36/24/news_sutro.html
and here:
http://www.mindfully.org/Technology/Sutro-Tower-EMF-Cancer29may00.htm
Time to move!
THis is one of those classical “slippery” slopes.
INvariably, the cellular providers seek to obtain a precious foothold in a strategic location . . working (at first) very hard to accomodate esthetic concerns. Having done so, the next move is to begin the incessant requests for variance after variance, with the resulting requests spannning many years’ time. . . . City Councils come and go and any one variance is a relatively minor concession given the current state, and eventually you end up with something that most reasonable folks would call an “eyesore”.
THe question that is NEVER answered is – “At what point would we have disallowed the original variance, IF, at the time of the original variance – - – we were presented with the present day mish mash of coax, antennae, and tower structures ??”
My hunch is that many of these things would NEVER have been allowed initially if neighbors were provided the eventual reality.
Get documents of the original installation proposal and keep reminding the City Council of what was originally agreed to . . ..