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Planning commission approves Verizon/Everest cell tower after technical review and public opposition
Summary
After technical testimony showing RF exposure within FCC guidance and a compromise to reduce height from 165 to 100 feet, the commission approved Verizon/Everest conditional use permit UP25‑0003 despite residents’ concerns about health, property values and visibility.
The Butte County Planning Commission on April 23 approved a conditional‑use permit for a Verizon/ Everest Infrastructure Partners cell tower (UP25‑0003) after weeks of public comment and technical presentations.
Development Services staff summarized the record and the applicant’s revisions, telling the commission the team reviewed options including co‑location at a Cherokee Road site and evaluated a 100‑foot alternative to the original 165‑foot proposal. The applicant reduced the proposed height to 100 feet and provided photo simulations showing lower visibility in several nearby views.
Neighbors at the hearing described health concerns, potential property‑value losses, generator noise and the tower’s visual impact; several speakers cited news reports and studies they said link cell towers to health effects. In response the applicant and an independent consultant, electrical engineer David Witkowski of OCA Solutions, presented an electromagnetic‑exposure analysis and drive‑test data. Witkowski said his replication of the applicant’s modeling found ground‑level exposure well below FCC public limits and that the site’s predicted levels are far beneath thresholds for measurable heating effects. He also described drive‑test results and network‑capacity analysis that, he said, show coverage and public‑safety benefits (including improved connectivity for travelers and emergency responders along Highway 70).
Commission members acknowledged resident concerns about visibility and health but said the technical record and prior appellate outcomes weigh against denial on electromagnetic‑safety grounds. The chair moved to adopt the negative declaration prepared under CEQA and to approve the conditional use permit subject to the findings and conditions in staff’s attachment A; the motion was seconded and carried.
The resolution and conditions include standard setbacks, EME (electromagnetic emissions) compliance requirements, and appeal instructions: an appeal to the Butte County Board of Supervisors may be filed within 10 days of the commission’s decision.
