Cell Towers Blanketing The Park
As of 12/4/23, six applications to install small cell towers in The Park have been approved; four more are currently pending. An advocacy group, No Cell Outs, contends that our City’s ordinance is weak and is pressing the Council to review and revise it. The Council has yet to decide whether to take up this matter..
If you have questions or concerns about these new cell tower installations, you should definitely attend the Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission meeting on 12/13 at 7pm in City Hall.
The City has engaged an outside, telecom-specializing attorney to help educate our Commissioners on the status of cell tower law and regulation. Meanwhile, the No Cell Outs group has hired a telecom-independent law firm who has helped other cities craft protective ordinances, and this firm will also be speaking to the Commission. This should make for an interesting and informative meeting!
The following letter to San Mateo Park neighbors is from No Cell Outs, a group of concerned Park residents who feel it is important to get this information into your hands ahead of the 12/13 Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission meeting .
To our San Mateo Park Neighbors;
The City of San Mateo is being blanketed with new small cell installation applications from Crown Castle. These include six approved applications in San Mateo Park, four pending applications, and more to come. It is critical all residents understand the facts associated with the Crown Castle campaign to blanket San Mateo and the Park with new cell towers.
Cell tower applications cover all of San Mateo, including residential neighborhoods and schools.
These towers are not for cell phone coverage. They are for broadband internet. It is important to know that these cell towers are intended to compete with existing high-speed internet, which we currently have in San Mateo Park.
The City of San Mateo lacks robust design standards and ordinances for cell towers, as a result, they are ineffective in defending against these applications.
For example, there are no exclusions for schools or residential neighborhoods, and no setback requirements.
You can review the map of Cell tower installations updated regularly by the City of San Mateo here: https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/3865/Small-Cell-Infrastructure
You should know that:
Some research has found that a cell tower near your home can reduce your property value.
Residents have the right to voice their concerns. You may be told that we cannot contest new cell towers based on safety. The truth is that residents may voice their concerns for any reason. And in some other cities, residents have successfully persuaded their cities to adopt new ordinances limiting new cell tower installations. Some examples:
Long Beach, CA: https://whyy.org/segments/california-couple-beat-future-at-their-doorstep-5g-cell-tower/
Carmel, CA: https://bronx.news12.com/carmel-residents-win-legal-battle-against-cellphone-tower-construction
This is an important issue impacting not only San Mateo Park, but the entire city. If Crown Castle’s current campaign is an indicator, cell tower applications within the Park are likely to increase.
If new cell towers are of concern to you, please:
Attend the San Mateo Sustainability and Infrastructure Committee meeting at City Hall on Wednesday December 13th at 7pm to show you care.
Sign up for cell tower notifications and decisions https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/3865/Small-Cell-Infrastructure
For more information on organized efforts to protect neighborhoods and schools from new cell towers, email: nocellouts@gmail.com
Respectfully,
Alicia Woodfall-Jones
Representing No Cell Outs
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