A Delay Is a Victory!

A delay is a victory! The Planning Commission almost had enough votes to deny the plan, but at the last minute asked for modifications instead, which in and of itself is historic because usually they just approve cell antenna requests.  There was surprising support on the Planning Commission, including one commissioner, Jahaziel Bonilla, who said something like, "No way I'm allowing this to be sited in a residential community until it can be proved that there is no negative health effects"!  

Another commissioner, Jahmese Myres, pulled us aside after the meeting and said "we've seen this so many times, over and over again.  You need to organize citywide and bring a lot of people to the City council and demand a sensible wireless ordinance."  

Other Commissioners didn't like the lax "alternative site analysis" that Verizon did. So Verizon has been instructed to do a better one, and they also have to make aesthetic improvements on the current proposed site, and we believe they have to do a better propagation study proving that there is a "significant gap in coverage" in our area (we don't believe there is).  Then it will go back to the Planning Commission, maybe in a month or two.  We think it'll probably pass, but maybe not!

Thank you to all the neighbors who came down to provide passionate protection of our community.  Eleven of us spoke and others gave up their their precious 2 minutes to speakers who needed them, and we needed every minute!  And thank you Deborah Yaffe for taking the lead and setting the tone of fierce defense of our neighborhood against a needless unhealthy intrusion by a corporate predator!

See what a small determined group of people can accomplish?!  

Here's a link to the video of the Planning Commission Meeting.  Go to about 1 hour 36" into it.  Our segment starts with Verizon Rep Maria Kim speaking:

Planning Commission May 6th, 2015 

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