Two new cell phone towers will be erected in Gilroy, according Christi Garcia, a member of the City of Gilroy’s Planning Commission.
The new towers, which will be operated by Metro PCS and Sprint, were unanimously approved by the City’s Planning Commission during its regular meeting Thursday.
The Metro PCS tower will be located on the west side of Santa Teresa Boulevard in the vicinity of the water tank near Miller Avenue. The Sprint tower will be added on to an existing cell phone tower at Las Animas Avenue and Chappell Court.
Director David Bischoff of Planning and Environmental Services for the City sees economic benefits in allowing the towers to be built.
“The city is negotiating a lease for the one at the reservoir right now,” he said. “My guess is in the neighborhood of $3,000 a month.”
Garcia also addressed concerns residents may have about the aesthetic attributes of the new towers, which she said will be “positioned nicely.”
President and CEO Susan Valenta with the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce is unmoved by Garcia’s enthusiasm, however.
As Valenta sees it, the growing number of smartphones within the community could foreshadow a proliferation of new towers being foisted upon the City to keep up with ever-increasing data plan packages.
“Is there a way to get the reception that we need without having to deal with all these phony trees?” Valenta asked, referring to the artificial tree limbs often placed on cell phone towers to help them blend in with the natural environment.
David Bischoff clarified for Valenta that when approval is given for new towers, the owner must agree to let other companies use the same tower structure, should they wish to add their own.
Some current thinking about cell phone towers is outdated, he added.
“What we’re seeing now is providers not looking to have one, two or three giant poles in the city, but decentralized, smaller units on existing utility poles,” he explained.
Planning Commissioner Kai Lai confirmed that this new, “downsized” style is taking off.
“The companies want to shorten the range so that you don’t get so much interference,” he said.
At the close of the meeting, Garcia stated that she plans to keep her eye on developing trends within the telecommunication industry.
