Groveview Village residents say “No” to cell phone tower

It was a win for the residents of Groveview Village on Monday after their concerns swayed commissioners to vote against an ordinance that would have allowed a cell tower near their neighborhood.

The item, which was up for a second reading and public hearing at Monday’s commission meeting, was a statutory development agreement within the city that would have established sufficient zoning and land use requirements to install a cell tower at 149 Anthony Dr. The property is city-owned and sits adjacent to the Groveview Village neighborhood, on wetlands and near numerous power lines.

Groveview Village is situated between Lake Mary Boulevard and Old Lake Mary Road with an entrance at Sir Lawrence Drive on Lake Mary Boulevard near the Huntington Reserve Apartments.

The item was unanimously approved by commissioners on first reading at the May 23 meeting with no public input and no discussion.

However, within the three weeks since the first approval, residents of Groveview Village took note of the proposed change and placed signs in their neighborhood to inform other residents of the impending final approval.

This prompted questions from commissioners and residents, leading to an initial presentation from Chris Smith of Sanford’s Building Division on Monday before the public had a chance to speak.

Smith said security laws surrounding the placement of cell towers makes it hard to pull statistics, but he estimated that Seminole County has about 256 registered towers. He also described the towers as “critical structures” as they play an important role in communication, especially to public safety personnel. These will “provide the highway to create smart cities,” he said.

The proposed statutory development agreement, he said, would change the usage of the property to allow for a cell phone tower installation. It was learned at the meeting that Verizon had approached the city about a possible tower installation in that location.

Annual city revenue for allowing a cell tower in the location was estimated to be $50,000.

After the meeting was opened to the public, Groveview resident Michele Dewey delivered a lengthy presentation highlighting her concerns about the tower’s proximity to homes, health issues, exposure to radiation and environmental impacts.

“Local governments are the only line of defense for their constituents being exposed to excessive lines of radiation,” she said.

Dewey also noted that she had spoke to Attorney Andrew Campanelli who specializes in cell tower rights.

“He [Campanelli] has agreed to represent the citizens of Groveview Village to get this straightened out,” she said.

Other residents continued with their turn at the podium, with everyone opposing a potential cell phone tower near their streets.

Resident Gregory Christ said, “I’m not opposed to cell towers, but I am opposed to one in my neighborhood.”

Others, like resident Gihia Martin, said the city should look elsewhere for cell tower installations. “There are more options for the city to consider for the placement of this tower,” she said.

Resident David Mora went as far to suggest the tower should be placed in one of the city-owned cemeteries. Various other residents, with about 15 speaking in total, cited issues with lowering property values and health concerns.

Resident Jolynne Mora pleaded with commissioners: “Can we not work together on this?”

At the close of the public input Commissioner Patty Mahany immediately spoke up and said, “The $50K is not worth the stress on these individuals.”

Her statement was followed by a motion to deny the ordinance.

During the commission’s discussion, Commissioner Patrick Austin made sure to clarify that the proposal for the cell tower came from city staff and not by way of the commission.

The motion to deny the item was ultimately passed unanimously and met with applause in the commission chamber.