HomeMy WebLinkAboutPOUDRE VALLEY PLAZA WTF (AT&T) - PDP - 6-09 - REPORTS - CORRESPONDENCE-HEARINGGene C. Wilken
900 Canosa Court
Fort Collins, CO 80526
(970)214-7528
gwilken@lamar.colostate.edu
Stephen Olt, City Planner
City of Fort Collins
Current Planning Department
P.O. Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580
Dear Steve:
4 February 2009
PIT(�TP T
FEB -.9 2009
This is a somewhat belated response to the invitation for public input on the proposed microwave
tower at the corner of Horsetooth and Century, in the McCoy's Restaurant parking lot. My
objection is largely aesthetic - I live in Four Seasons and pass that comer several times each day,
as do many other residents who live in the northwest quadrant of our development. We would be
painfully aware of the 50-foot tower every time we left, or came home.
Four Seasons Home Owners Association covenants prohibit erecting any structure that would
extend above the 6-foot privacy fences that surround most of our homes. Applications for
waivers must be approved by the Architecture Committee of the Association. Such applications
are invariably rejected. The reasoning? Anything extending above the fences would be visible to
neighbors, obstruct their views, and constitute an eyesore. We have even taken legal action
against Association members who impulsively started sheds or other structures before applying
to (and probably being rejected by) the Architecture Committee. By this means, we have
preserved the attractiveness and livability of our neighborhood - in our opinion one of the nicest
in Fort Collins - for more than 25 years.
Now it seems that the City of Fort Collins is considering a structure that will stick up 50 feet and
be widely visible. Unfortunately, since the site is not in Four Seasons, it does not fall under our
covenants. But doesn't it seem ironic - our Association is trying to preserve the beauty of our
little piece of Fort Collins by limiting unsightly structures while the City, ostensibly dedicated to
the same goal, may allow a 50-foot microwave mast right across the street!
As a cell phone user, I appreciate that to have cell phone service, we must have transmission
facilities. But surely there are other locations nearby that would serve equally well, yet be less
obvious. I am concerned that the particular site was chosen not so much for suitability as for
agreeability by the property owner. Other land and building owners rejected the project. The
proposed siting is based on the willingness of McCoy's (or its building owner) to rent space (Le.,
obtain income) for the microwave tower without regard for the negative impact on neighborhood
aesthetics. Considering the values involved and the number of citizens who would be adversely
affected by the tower, this does not seem like a compelling argument.
Sincerely,