Guest column: Why we oppose the Incline Village cell tower (opinion) [telecom]

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Moderator Note: Not-in-my-oh-so-perfect-Stepford-clockwork-department ...

Incline Village residents are protesting the proposed cell tower on Village Boulevard.

Although we're not against enhanced cell coverage, we are against the eyesore of a 117-foot monopole in the middle of Incline towering 30 or more feet above surrounding trees and buildings, sitting within a few hundred feet of high-density residences (including six homeowner associations), on an 1,800-square-foot cement pad with four large equipment boxes, a huge propane gas container, and a noisy emergency generator behind a 6-foot fence, all less than 50 feet from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Class 1 biking/walking path on Village Boulevard, which is one of Incline's most highly trafficked streets.

For these reasons - and others having to do with the faulty application of Incline Partners - we're appealing the April 4 Board of Adjustment approval of the tower (a 2 to 1 decision), which the Board of Commissioners will hear in May.