CAMARILLO : Antenna Tower Permit Is Denied

The Camarillo Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to deny a Pac-Tel Cellular application to erect a 104-foot antenna tower and building because the proposed site is on land designated by the city as scenic.

The city’s General Plan identifies land 500 feet off the Ventura Freeway as being in a scenic heritage zone, and city planners have asked the company to look for another site. They recommended rejection of the application because it does not offer other sites.

Pac-Tel of Irvine has proposed building a sky-blue antenna tower and 336-square-foot equipment building on two acres at 92 Dawson Drive near Lewis Road and the freeway.

The company plans to refile the application in January, Richard Wagner, a Corona del Mar consultant for Pac-Tel, said in a telephone interview before the meeting. No company representative attended Tuesday’s hearing.

Up to 10,000 cellular telephone calls at one time could be processed by the tower, Wagner said. Many customers live in Camarillo or drive through on the freeway and have complained about reception for their portable telephones in the area, he said. A similar structure is also being proposed in Oxnard.

“We were concerned with the visual impact this tower would have on the corridor,” said Tony Boden, Camarillo planning director.

Wagner said he has agreed to search for alternative sites but does not believe that one exists.

The city has also asked Pac-Tel to put up $10,000 for an environmental impact review. Wagner said the review is not really necessary, saying it will amount to “taking some photos, drawing in an antenna and having people look at it.”