Supervisors delay decision on Paradise Valley wireless tower after residents raise safety, fairness concerns

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on June 25 to continue an appeal of a Planning Commission approval for a proposed wireless telecommunications facility on Paradise Valley Road in Spring Valley and directed staff to return with additional environmental analysis and any other information the board requests.

The project, proposed by AT&T and developed by consultant MD7, would place a 35-foot faux-eucalyptus wireless tower and an eight-foot-tall concrete equipment enclosure on a parcel owned by the San Diego County Water Authority. County planning staff had recommended that the board deny the appeal and uphold the Planning Commission’s approval; staff said the project qualified for a categorical CEQA exemption and complied with county zoning standards.

County planner Kathleen Fan, presenting the item for Planning and Development Services, said the site is constrained by an aqueduct easement and existing Water Authority uses and that the proposed facility meets the county’s non-small-cell standards. “The exemption was properly applied, and no further environmental review is required,” Fan said in explaining staff’s recommendation.

AT&T…