AT&T withdraws proposal for cell phone tower in La Crescenta
AT&T has withdrawn a proposal to place a cell phone tower in La Crescenta after several concerned residents complained that it would be an eyesore and reduce property values.
The telecommunications company had proposed to place a 70-foot tower in the 5000 block of Cloud Avenue on land owned by the Crescenta Valley Water District, saying the structure was necessary to ward off dropped calls and disconnects.
But in an email sent on the evening of Friday, Feb. 14, to officials with the Water District, the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning and to Cheryl Davis, chair of the Crescenta Valley Town Council’s Land Use Committee, AT&T withdrew the proposal.
“After working with neighbors and community leaders, we have decided to withdraw our current application and continue exploring alternative possible locations to upgrade wireless service in the area to close our coverage gap,” Andrew Hollihan, a manager with AT&T’s real estate administration, wrote in the email.
[UPDATED 6:00 p.m.] The purpose of adding the cell phone tower was to fill a gap in both coverage and capacity -- increasing cell phone signals, and accomodating the increased use of mobile devices, according to Jaime Moore, spokesperson for AT&T.
AT&T’s engineers are looking into alternative locations, but none have been determined yet, she said.
At a meeting Thursday night at the La Crescenta Library, Jerry Ambrose, land use consultant with AT&T, told the audience the tower would be disguised as a eucalyptus tree, and would include 12 eight-foot antennas, 24 AT&T remote radio units, and several other pieces of equipment on the property, including a steel platform with a wood fence.
Davis said she was pleased with the decision.
“I’m happy they heard what the residents had to say,” she said. “It was very nice of them.”
-- Sameea Kamal, sameea.kamal@latimes.com
Follow on Twitter: @SameeaKamal.
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