Phone tower rouses suburb

By TIM GRANT

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 8, 2000

LAKE MAGDALENE -- When the Indian Mound Village community was built 20 years ago, homeowners were so concerned about protecting their natural skyline, they required that power lines be built underground.

Today, it remains much as it was then. Sandwiched between Bearss Avenue and the Avila subdivision, the homes sit on large lots surrounded by grand old trees.

"The home we built here could have been built in Avila, but we chose this neighborhood because we wanted this type of environment," said Bill Geyer. "This is a family neighborhood."

In recent weeks, residents have united to oppose a rezoning petition that would allow a 150-foot cellular phone antenna tower in the heart of their neighborhood.

APT/VoiceStream Wireless has asked for a special use permit to erect the tower on land owned by a former resident on N Indian Mound Road.

A public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 20.

The Avila Property Owners Association had initially supported the Indian Mound residents in opposing the tower. But the Avila group, whose gated community includes some of the most expensive homes in the Tampa Bay area, has determined people there would not see the tower and has dropped out of the fight.

"At this stage, we really don't have any objection," said Stephen Decker, an attorney representing Avila. "Since it is not on Avila's property or in our sight, we do not believe we will oppose it."

Earl Stover has apparently reached an agreement to lease a 90-foot-square section of his 39-acre parcel to VoiceStream for the tower and related equipment. Neighbors say they have tried to persuade Stover to back out of the deal or at least relocate the tower so that it wouldn't be as visible.

"He told me he wouldn't move the tower any further north because it would get too close to Avila," said neighbor Bill Jones. "From that point on, my enthusiasm got that much higher to fight this."

Stover could not be reached for comment. As proposed, the tower would stand directly in front of the 6,800-square-foot home Geyer and his wife, Adele, built a year ago on Indian Mound Road.

"The cell tower would be the view from our front window," Mrs. Geyer said.

It would also be 50 feet from the 5 acres Betty Leonard has owned for 47 years.

"I have borrowed money to make my $53 a month payments at times," said Leonard, a disabled retired teacher. "I was a single mom working full time and four or five part-time jobs. This will devastate me. I'm depending on this land for my retirement."

Although zoning laws can greatly restrict where most commercial ventures operate, they don't apply equally to cellular phone antenna towers.

That's because Congress, in an effort to foster the growth of an industry seen as good for the nation and its economy, prevented local governments from interfering with the rights of wireless companies to compete in the market. Denying a tower application could be interpreted as interference.

But the county's rules on towers have tightened since the onslaught of the cellular boom.

At first, no public hearing or public notice was required to obtain a tower permit. Several residents came home from work to discover bulldozers and construction crews erecting a 200-foot tower next door.

County rules now require public hearings and notice to all residents within 250 feet of a proposed tower.

As more people rely on cellular technology, more towers will be needed. Radio communication systems are like a honeycomb pattern of cells, each one requiring an antenna to assure seamless coverage. As usage increases, the cells get smaller and antennas more numerous.

The towers increasingly encroach on residential areas such as Indian Mound Road.

"It's evident to us that it's being put here as a moneymaking venture with no concern for us," said Gina Vega. "I'm sick over this whole thing. People picked this area because we loved it so much and we've put everything we had into it."

- To reach Tim Grant call 226-3471, or e-mail him at grant@sptimes.com.

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