Residents cry foul on cell tower on church

Residents are upset over a T-Mobile cell tower that could be built on a church with a preschool near their homes.

The cell tower would be 55 feet tall and look like a palm tree, or “monopalm,” to blend in with the surrounding palm trees on the Community United Methodist Church property on Heil Avenue.

The tower would be about 150 feet from residential houses, according to a staff report.

Huntington Beach resident Dianne Larson spoke against allowing the cell tower at Monday’s City Council meeting. Larson voiced concerns over the health dangers associated with a tower and asked the city to impose a moratorium on the towers near residential neighborhoods.

According to the staff report, the tower “will not be detrimental to the general welfare of persons working or residing in the vicinity.”

The cell tower is being requested to improve wireless communication in the community, according to the report.

The project will come before the zoning administration Oct. 28 to request a conditional use permit.