[Editor’s Note: In the original version of this story, the name of Nancy Tahvili of the Culver City Planning Dept. was misspelled.]
A jackpot question of the week has been answered.
Ever since a neighborhood controversy exploded almost three weeks ago over proposed placement of a cell phone tower/apparatus above the Cash ‘n Carry store in south Culver City, there has been a buzz about how many towers already are upright in this town.
From Nancy Tahvili, an Assistant Planner in the Planning Division at City Hall, comes the magic number:
“There are 36 telecommunication sites in the city,” says Ms. Tahvili, “some of which are co-located among carriers.”
Dozens of neighbors around Cash ‘n Carry have been organizing since receiving notification of the T-Mobile/City Hall plans because they are strongly afraid of potential health and safety hazards.
Addressing the notion of perils, City Manager Mark Scott put it most succinctly this morning, striding guardedly down a middle aisle.
After decades of research, he believes there is insufficient evidence to state that health hazards never will occur or always will occur with cell phone towers.
Back to Ms. Tahvili:
“We have not plotted each facility on one map,” she told the newspaper, “because the service providers make their applications to the city based upon service to the public not whether their cell facility is near another cell facility.
“We exercise the provision in the Code, using this table, to require co-location whenever it is feasible (if the site can accommodate it and the service needs are met) to comport with city and federal requirements.”
Ms. Tahvili said City Hall believes the oldest tower in Culver City was constructed on June 23, 1992.
