Verizon Wireless this week applied to relocate its Huntington Middle School cell tower to the staff parking lot behind San Marino City Hall. According to the tower drawings, Verizon proposed a 70-foot monopole with related equipment, which will have a footprint of approximately 14 feet by 28 feet.
Located at the center of the block, the tower—which would be able to accommodate two antennas—is proposed to mimic a pine tree.
Planning and Building Director Aldo Cervantes has worked with Verizon for the past several years to narrow the carrier’s options down to the staff parking lot and an existing cell tower—occupied by AT&T—at 2301 Huntington Drive across the street from City Hall.
Had Verizon elected to relocate to 2301 Huntington Drive, Cervantes told members of the City Council and San Marino Unified School District Governing Board at their Nov. 9 joint meeting, the carrier would have needed to apply for a variance to add an additional 10 feet to the current three-tier stucco box structure that houses the cell tower on the roof.
He explained that due to certain required legal findings, his department could not recommend approval of such a variance to the San Marino Planning Commission, which has the authority to review it.
A new cell tower at the City Hall staff parking lot would be “more feasible,” said Cervantes, noting that the city would have full procedural control over what he referred to as “a very preliminary process.”
Mayor Dr. Allan Yung recalled opposition to an earlier proposal by Verizon to relocate its HMS cell tower to the Old Mill median or Colonial Kitchen.
“The people who live around City Hall are going to say the same thing,” Mayor Yung noted, presuming opposition from residents to Verizon’s proposal to construct a cell tower at City Hall.
The Mayor added that the city has attempted to exercise caution in its dealings with Verizon.
“We’ve tried to do this in such a way so that we don’t go back and say ‘We should have done it differently,’” he explained.
Verizon has the flexibility to move its HMS cell site, which includes the tower and its associated ground equipment, thanks to a new Verizon cell site that will go live in the coming weeks at The Langham Huntington in Pasadena.
The cell site at The Langham will provide cellular coverage to the western parts of San Marino, while a new site near the intersection of Huntington Drive and San Marino Avenue will provide coverage to the city’s central areas.
A Verizon cell site owned by American Tower Corporation at San Marino High School currently covers the eastern parts of the city.
Cervantes informed the two governing bodies that the SMHS tower will soon relocate to an existing cell site—occupied by T-Mobile—on Los Angeles County property between the San Marino Masonic Lodge and Sunrise Senior Living facility.
Verizon is in the process of submitting its engineering drawings for that site to Los Angeles County for review, Cervantes said. The County of L.A. will have 90 days from the time of submittal to either approve or deny those drawings. He added that the city will not be involved with that process.
In conclusion, he stated, “Both seem to be very feasible and looking to really come to a closure soon.”
It is still unknown when either tower will be demolished. As of press time, the City of San Marino had not received a request for a demolition permit from American Tower Corp. or Verizon.
The city council will hear Verizon’s City Hall cell tower proposal during a closed session meeting on Dec. 14.
