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Residents ask Arcadia to weigh in on 200‑foot county cell/data tower proposed near Shirley Boulevard
Summary
Neighbors and community groups urged Arcadia’s council to take an official position on a county conditional‑use permit for a proposed roughly 180–200‑foot cell/data tower at 422 Shirley Blvd, citing proximity to homes, wildfire risk, watershed/flood impacts, and inconsistent setback rules between county and city jurisdictions.
Several Arcadia residents and members of the Friends of Gratzman Creek Watershed urged the City Council on Nov. 5 to formally review and comment on a Humboldt County conditional‑use permit for a proposed 180–200‑foot cell/data tower sited at 422 Shirley Boulevard in the Sunnybrae area, a parcel that extends into Arcadia’s sphere of influence.
Nut graf: Although the project is located on county land and will be processed by Humboldt County, residents said the tower would be within about 180 feet of Arcadia homes where the city’s zoning would normally require greater distances (city code requires roughly 1,000‑foot separation from residences while county standards are smaller). Speakers asked the city to place the project on its agenda and to coordinate with county planning and local supervisors.
Neighbors described potential public‑safety and environmental impacts: wildfire risk from construction and stored propane, increased ignition risk from operational equipment, noise and traffic associated with 24/7 data‑center‑grade transmission, vegetation removal in high wildfire‑risk terrain, potential insurance impacts for nearby homeowners, and concerns about erosion and flooding affecting Beverly Court and Beverly Drive because the project sits near a perennial stream feeding the Gratzman Creek watershed.
Public commenters asked the council to pursue all available avenues — a city comment letter to county Planning, conversations with county supervisor Mike Wilson and county planning director John Ford, and exploration of whether the city could acquire or broker an alternative site to avoid locating infrastructure so close to homes.
Ending: The council did not take immediate formal action on the permit application but council members and staff encouraged residents to file referrals and contact county supervisors; staff said the county is the lead agency on the permit and that the city would coordinate as appropriate.
