City to Partly Lift Antenna Moratorium

Concerned about having wireless communication antennas in residential and open space areas, the City Council has decided to approve only parts of a cellular phone law aimed at reducing visual pollution.

Council members voted 4 to 0 Tuesday to lift Thousand Oaks’ moratorium on cellular phone antennas--but only in commercial and industrial parts of town--and to approve an ordinance detailing the steps that providers must take to build the towers in those areas.

The council opted not to lift the moratorium on residential and open space areas.

It also directed city officials to contact the Federal Communications Commission for more information on whether Thousand Oaks can legally keep the towers out of those parts of town without impinging on the rights of mobile communications providers to serve their customers.

“I think we are all in agreement that there is some language in [the ordinance] that needs to be cleaned up,” said Councilman Andy Fox.

The original ordinance before the council would have allowed the towers in residential and open space zones but only as a last resort. The amended ordinance will return to the council next week. Councilwoman Elois Zeanah was absent.

The ordinance, which was drafted after Thousand Oaks received a slew of requests by telephone companies looking to put cellular phone antennas in the city, would require mobile phone providers to bring all antenna proposals before the Planning Commission for scrutiny and approval and make the sites as good-looking as possible, among other things.

The moratorium will not be lifted until 30 days after the ordinance returns for a second reading.