THOUSAND OAKS : Planners OK Cellular Telephone Antenna
With little public outcry, the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission approved construction of a 35-foot-tall cellular telephone antenna atop the peak of a ridge along the Moorpark Freeway.
The quiet but unanimous ruling came without the outcry that accompanied the decision to place an FM radio antenna on a prominent ridgeline in 1992, chiefly because commissioners did not see the two cases as parallel.
Unlike the Cal Lutheran University radio antenna, AirTouch Cellular’s tower will be built along a ridge already cluttered by power lines and a water tank.
The proposed antenna, which is expected to help improve cellular telephone transmission in the Conejo Valley, will be built west of the Moorpark Freeway near Calle Contento.
Only one resident, who lives next door to the project, complained about its location on the ridgeline. He said he was concerned about the possible danger of electromagnetic-field radiation that could be emitted from the antenna.
City officials, however, said the radiation from the tower would be minimal.
“It’s about the same wattage as a common household light bulb,” said city planner Greg Smith. “I don’t think it poses a health risk.”
Commissioners also said they saw the value, in an emergency, to having the increased ability to use cellular telephones.
“There is obviously a trade-off, but this is something valuable for the community,” said Irving Wasserman, the Planning Commission chairman.
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