Geneva panel says no to 85-foot Verizon tower near Eagle Brook
After a three-hour public hearing last Thursday, the Geneva Planning and Zoning Commission voted not to recommend a special use permit to allow an 85-foot Verizon cell tower in a strip mall at 1749 S. Randall Road.
Petitioner Doug Dolan of Dolan Realty Advisors and president of DRA Properties, the company that will own the cell site, testified the tower meets all conditions required for a special use.
The tower would be light gray in color, unobtrusive and blending in with its surroundings with all antennas and hardware hidden inside, he said. Real estate appraiser reports showed it would not have an effect on property values; and that it is necessary to prevent a gap in Verizon’s cell phone coverage.
Dolan said this is a revamped version of a 2021 proposal that did not get approval.
“The proposed use of the specified location is consistent with the comprehensive plan,” Dolan said.
Dolan said Verizon needed the additional tower to fill a coverage gap as the system was near capacity.
About a dozen residents of the nearby Eagle Brook subdivision challenged the accuracy and integrity of the documents provided, as well as Dolan’s testimony.
Resident Emily McCafferty, who lives on Eldorado Drive, questioned Verizon’s reports that cell towers do not have a negative impact on property values.
McCafferty gave a PowerPoint presentation comparing home sales of those already near other cell towers in Eagle Brook to a comparable subdivision in Wheaton built by the same developer, Keim Custom Homes.
The total projected decline in value for 83 Eagle Brook homes nearest the tower — if approved — was more than $3 million, according to McCafferty’s research.
“This tower belongs in an industrial or commercial area that is not closely surrounded by residential homes,” McCafferty said.
Resident Dale Rathunde of Crystal Tree Court presented a petition with 136 names of residents whose streets connect to Bent Tree — the street behind where the cell tower is proposed — all opposed.
Rathunde challenged Dolan’s assertion of the need for more cell tower connections and the affidavit from Verizon’s engineer, which said existing towers were near capacity and users would experience dropped calls.
“If this was the case, Verizon would be able to show an increase in the dropped call rates over time, especially during busy hours,” Rathunde said.
Rathunde said Verizon was pushing this tower near residential neighborhoods to support its home internet product to get people to switch from cable.
Don Manikes, another Eldorado Drive resident, challenged the petitioner’s report that a cell tower could improve the property values of nearby homes.
“As a real estate attorney with 30 years of experience, I can tell you this is not credible,” Manikes said.
Dolan cited the report from the real estate appraiser that cell towers have no impact on property values.
In voting 6-0 to recommend denial, the commission cited the special use standards that affect property values and neighborhood character.
The commission also recommended that before Dolan takes the application before the city council, that he have a signed lease from Verizon for the tower, a structural design plan for the foundation and tower, a review from the National Environmental Policy Act regarding tower siting and construction, as well as information showing the current system is at capacity.