May 19, 2024
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Another applicant petitions Geneva for Verizon cell tower

Planning, Zoning panel to hear proposal at May 23 hearing

By Brenda Schory
Some Eagle Brook residents posted their opposition to a proposal for an 85-foot cell tower in a strip mall between Bent Tree and South Randall Road.The Geneva Planning and Zoning Commission will hear the application May 23.

Some Eagle Brook residents posted their opposition to a proposal for an 85-foot cell tower in a strip mall between Bent Tree and South Randall Road.The Geneva Planning and Zoning Commission will hear the application May 23. (Image provided by City of Geneva)

GENEVA – A second applicant has proposed an 85-foot Verizon cell tower in a strip mall at 1749 S. Randall Road, Geneva, documents show.

The first applicant, TowerNorth Development LLC, which develops, owns and operates wireless infrastructure, filed the zoning request in 2022 on behalf of Verizon Wireless. It was for a 100-foot tower on a portion of the Oscar Swan property at 1800 W. State St. After the City Council denied its application, TowerNorth filed a federal lawsuit that is still pending.

The new application is from Verizon Wireless and Dolan Realty Advisors LLC of Kirkwood, Missouri, for a stealth tower in a strip mall parking lot where antennas and cables would be concealed within the pole.

A balloon test April 18 was to illustrate how unobtrusive the cell tower would be, according to the application. Still, some residents of nearby Eagle Brook subdivision posted signs stating, “NO 85 FT TOWER HERE.”

The pole could support four wireless carriers, reducing the need for other cell sites in the area, according to the application.

The proposed site is 1,507-square-foot-by-50-feet within a trash receptacle area away from the parking spaces and drive aisles at the strip mall between Randall Road and Bent Tree Drive, where a New Balance shoe store and Tricoci Salon & Spa are located.

Ground equipment would be concealed behind a brick wall, according to the filing.

Mature trees east of the property line would screen residents in the Eagle Brook subdivision and the other three directions have commercial uses.

The purpose of the additional cell tower is because neighboring Verizon cell sites are on the verge of capacity and the site is equidistant from two other existing cell sites a mile north and south, according to the application.

The space would be leased, according to the filing.

Geneva Christina LLC, based in Mokena, Illinois, owns 1725 and 1749 S. Randall Road, property records show.

A hearing before the Geneva Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 23, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 109 James St.

The full application and supporting documents are on the city’s website at www.geneva.il.us.

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