VAN NUYS : Opponents Block Proposed Antenna

A group of Van Nuys residents and merchants Tuesday blocked plans by AirTouch Cellular to install a 45-foot-high transmission pole in their neighborhood.

With two members of the Los Angeles Board of Zoning Appeals absent, they convinced a third member that a cellular phone antenna at Fulton Avenue and Victory Boulevard would be inconsistent with surrounding homes.

Board members Chris Kezios and Allen Gilbert voted to permit installation of the pole, and member James Acevedo dissented. Chairman Peter Weil and member James Silcott were absent.

The lack of a majority--three votes--upheld a prior ruling by William Lillenberg, associate zoning administrator, that halted the antenna’s installation. Lillenberg told the board Tuesday that the antenna would be the tallest structure in the community and a “noticeable eyesore.’

“It’s contrary to any effort to improve the neighborhood,” Lillenberg said.

AirTouch representatives argued unsuccessfully that the transmission pole is no more obtrusive than telephone poles now in the neighborhood and is virtually identical to anntennas approved in other communities.

“This design before you today is very similar to other projects approved on a commercial site in a residential area,” said John Bitterly, an AirTouch consultant.

Phone company officials want the pole to improve area reception for cellular phone users. Other locations that were considered would be so far away that a second pole would also be necessary, Bitterly said.

Bitterly noted that the 45-foot-high pole is much smaller than the 76-foot antenna often used for better reception. He disagreed that it would be a detriment to the neighborhood, and offered to landscape around the pole to make it more attractive.

Zoning board officials limited comments Tuesday to land-use issues, saying opponents’ health concerns are “an issue for the state,” Kezios said.

Instead, residents and merchants talked about how the transmission pole would look in their neighborhood and how the fear of health risks could affect local businesses.

Jacqueline Kronberg, an officer with the Fulton Place Condominium Assn., called the proposed tower an “electronic monstrosity” that would lower surrounding property values and be a prime target for graffiti vandals.

“A 45-foot pole with a microwave dish would dominate our landscape,” said Kronberg. “What will happen to these installations in the case of an earthquake?”

Don Schultz, president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn., was even more critical: “We feel it’s a blight in the area.”