Cell tower plan nixed in Mundelein
A controversial plan to install a large cellular communications antenna on the grounds of a Mundelein church has been formally nixed by village officials.
Trustees this week rejected a key permit for the plan, which called for an 81-foot-tall pole at the Chapel, 1966 W. Hawley St.
A Wheaton company called Central States Tower wanted to build the tower, and Verizon reportedly would've been a client.
The church would've charged rent for the land used for the antenna.
The plan has been criticized in person and in an online petition by local residents, especially from the nearby Tullamore neighborhood. They said the pole would be unsightly and hurt property values, among other concerns. They also objected to the possible placement of a large flag atop the pole.
Mundelein's planning and zoning commission, which advises the village board, opposed the plan, too.
After much discussion, the board last month requested village staffers draft ordinances rejecting the Chapel's request for a permit and a related a request to erect the tower closer to the church than building codes allow. The board spiked the plan Monday by approving those ordinances.
Trustee Holly Kim was the only board member who supported the project Monday. Chapel officials should be able to do what they want on their property, she said Wednesday.
Kim agreed with her peers on the board, however, that the tower would've been located too close to the church.
A Missouri company called Dolan Realty Advisors had championed the plan earlier in the process, saying the need for cell service is increasing as more consumers drop landlines in favor of cellphones.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Dolan agent Mike Duchant declined to comment on the board's decision.