Morongo Valley residents discuss effects of proposed cell tower before Thursday meeting

The InterConnect communications tower proposed for Morongo Valley continues to stir opposition from local residents. The development project, which includes grading of access roads and ancillary facilities beyond the tower, is now in the 30-day public comment period while InterConnect awaits amendments to the California Desert Conservation Plan to “partially retain the existing character of the landscape,” according to a recent notice sent to residents. BLM will be hosting a meeting at 5:30 this Thursday at Covington Park’s multipurpose room to give residents a chance to voice their concerns.




Morongo Valley residents Sara Fernandez and Eric Hallmann live in the “dome house,” whose property reaches right up to the proposed site. When Fernandez and Hallmann bought their property four years ago, little did they know they’d be in jeopardy of living in the shadow of a communications tower that could potentially obstruct their quality of life. But with a 23-year background in land planning working alongside developers her entire career, Fernandez says she knows how these projects go. “I know that the first proposal isn’t the only economical proposal—it’s what makes them the most money. And because it’s our public land, we should participate in the process.” 




Fernandez and Hallmann are not only concerned with the tower being approved and installed, but the precedent it will set afterwards. “Once the BLM approves the tower, there’s no longer any public or transparent process for providers to come in and install their equipment. The tower owner can install anything he wants for the entire duration of the lease with no regard to potential impacts, health concerns, safety concerns, visual impacts… This is the only time that the Bureau of Land Management is going to study the environmental consequences of the tower. Once a company pulls a right of way and installs a tower, then anybody else can propose something similar within that same area and the BLM will just approve it because they would consider that to be consistent with what’s already there.”




Homeowner Sara Fernandez points to exact location of proposed communication tower site. Photo: Gabriel Hart



Fernandez says the most surprising element of the approval process is that BLM must amend the designation of the land. Currently designated as a VRM (Visual Resource Management) Class 2 Visual Resource, this designation must comply with  the scenic quality of the landscape. BLM will have to downgrade the land use designation to Class 3, removing the protections they’ve put in place. 




Even though Morongo residents already have a functional cell tower in the middle of town, Fernandez says that part of InterConnect’s claims is that their tower will bolster the area’s broadband connection, citing the Morongo grade’s dead zone. Yet the proposed site is desirable for its high elevation, and that wireless relies on “line of sight” to connect points. After studying the tower, using exact coordinates and data to model on Google Earth, Fernandez concluded the line of site wouldn’t reach the steep, winding canyon of the Morongo grade.  




To take it back home, Fernandez and Hallmann say property value for affected residents could drop significantly from being within the tower’s proximity, a major concern when their home is currently in need of repairs or, worst case scenario, if they would ever need to sell. 




“Once that thing is built, I can’t imagine someone paying half as much of the value currently… not only would our equity just evaporate but we would not be able to sell our house.”








To help educate community members for the upcoming BLM meeting in Covington Park at 5:30 on September 5th, Fernandez has written up comprehensive bullet points citing negative effects the tower will have on Morongo residents.




The Purpose and Need for a tower at this location has not been adequately established:




Morongo Valley is not “underserved” according to FCC National Broadband Map and California Interactive Broadband Map





SB County approved budget to replace/upgrade the existing CSA-70 tower




No direct line-of-sight exists to cellular “dead-zones” on the Morongo Grade




New broadband provider, Pacific Lightware, is now available in Morongo Valley




Direct satellite to cell service is expected to become available this fall





Alternatives to current proposal were not adequately sought or evaluated, such as:





Co-locating transmitters on existing poles as needed within the canyon




Using existing utility ROWs where impacts would be minimal




Working with CalTrans to improve highway safety and 911 coverage




Working with SB County to replace the CSA Tower





Incompatible with surrounding rural residential land use:





Distance to nearest residential lot, vacant =  82’




Distance to nearest residential lot, occupied = 430’




Population of 1,163 living within 1-mile radius





Increases wildfire hazard near homes while hindering fire suppression





196’ Tower is obstruction to aerial support




3,000 gal of fuel storage in high-wind, high-voltage area increases risk




Nearest fire hydrant would require over 1,500’ of hose pull length




Environmental Assessment fails to address the increase in wildfire hazards




No data provided to demonstrate available resources for fire suppression





Inconsistent with SB County Codes and Policies





Morongo Valley Community Plan policies of preserving rural character, natural resources, and scenic beauty




SB County Zoning of RC Resource Conservation




SB County Code (Ch 84.27) Standards for Wireless Telecom Facilities





Insufficient public notice given and not enough time for public to respond





Misleading postcards contain no map, no images, no description of facilities, and no meeting announcement




Only 30-day review period for public to read/comment on a 422-page report





Noncompliant with BLM resource management policies





Requires DRECP amendment to downgrade the Visual Resource Class 




Sets precedent for other noncompliant projects elsewhere to undermine policies




Opens the door for easy approval of more facilities at this site after constructed





Will significantly degrade scenic views leading to decline in property values





Renderings do not depict all facilities proposed




Visual impact analysis is based on misleading images





Potential to impact wildlife and livestock due to construction, operational noise, lighting





Destruction of 2 acres of sensitive species habitat




Likely to cause bird mortality per biology report 




Impact of noise on nearby animals has not been addressed





Project Opposed by County Supervisors Paul Cool and Dawn Rowe

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