Resident tells council Verizon tower was installed without required local review; asks city to declare structure nonconforming

Ben Adams told the Lake Oswego City Council on July 15 that a Verizon telecommunications structure adjacent to his family’s listed historic home was installed as a new tower without required local conditional‑use review and public notice.

Adams said Ordinance 21-44 requires a conditional‑use process for new towers and that, in his view, the structure was not a simple collocation on an existing tower but a new build that should have required zoning review and a Section 106 historic review. He said the city’s planning department did not follow the conditional‑use procedure at the time, that a stop‑work order issued in May found the project did not qualify for federal streamlining, and that the stop‑work order was later lifted based on a federal definition Adams disputes.

Adams asked the city to declare the structure nonconforming under the zoning code, require Verizon to file a new application and process it as a new facility with public notice, and enforce retroactive compliance including a conditional‑use permit and full zoning review. He said inconsistent enforcement and the installation’s proximity to his listed historic property had harmed his property value.

City response: Councilors thanked Adams for bringing the concern to public comment. No council action or formal referral was recorded in the meeting minutes; the remarks were received during the public‑comment period.

Ending: Adams concluded by asking the city to reopen and review the project because he believes the 1997 permits did not authorize the current structure.