Lake Forest council acknowledges wireless coverage gaps, directs plan commission to revisit zoning for a tower

The Lake Forest City Council on July 7 accepted an engineering report finding a notable deficiency in wireless coverage in the vicinity of Everett Road and Waukegan Road and directed the plan commission to reconsider a zoning code amendment that could identify permitted locations for a telecommunications monopole within the study area.

The report, presented by Adam Parrish of Kimley Horn, a national engineering consultant, found weak signals from all major carriers in the circled area near Everett and Waukegan, describing measured power in the 110–120 dBm range — which Parrish said corresponds to “poor to no recognized signal.” Parrish told the council that “you can’t always trust the bars on your phone” and that the firm’s drive tests and coverage maps showed a clear coverage gap that strains the surrounding network.

Why it matters: Council members and many residents said the gap causes daily dropped calls and can affect emergency response, businesses and residents’ ability to communicate. After more than an hour of public comment — with speakers both urging action and questioning…