Proposed 100-foot Verizon monopole with panel antennas, RRUs and a microwave dish is shown in a photo simulation near West Liberty Road, looking northeast. Photo provided by Assurance Development

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - Nearly everyone carries a cellphone. But in rural Butte County, some residents fear the towering infrastructure behind the technology could become “the asbestos of this generation.”

Those concerns surfaced during the Butte County Planning Commission’s Feb. 26 meeting, where commissioners approved a 100-foot telecommunications tower south of Gridley while postponing a taller proposal north of Oroville.

The Gridley project, proposed by The Towers LLC, calls for installation of a 100-foot monopole with a 5-foot lightning rod at the northwest corner of Richins Avenue and West Liberty Road. The facility will include nine panel antennas, remote radio units, overvoltage protection boxes, a microwave antenna and a GPS antenna. Ground equipment will be enclosed within a 50-by-50-foot fenced lease area on an 8.82-acre agricultural parcel.

Planning staff said the unmanned tower is intended to improve wireless service and emergency communications in the south Gridley area. Access will be provided by a new gravel driveway from West Liberty Road.

Commissioners adopted a mitigated negative declaration under the California Environmental Quality Act and approved the conditional use permit with conditions requiring compliance with federal, state and local regulations, including Federal Communications Commission standards governing radio frequency emissions. The tower must meet building and fire codes, implement erosion controls and be removed if abandoned for more than six months.

The Gridley proposal drew written objections from nearby residents who raised health and property value concerns.

Joseph Powell, who lives on Wedin Way, submitted a formal objection stating that his pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator require him to avoid strong electromagnetic sources. He wrote that the tower’s location would require him to pass the site whenever he leaves home.

“There is no alternate route for me to travel other than passing the proposed project site,” Powell wrote. “This would require repeated and unavoidable proximity to the installation, which raises serious concerns for my personal health and safety.”

Ken and Rhonda Seipert, landowners near West Liberty Road, described the structure as incompatible with the rural character of the neighborhood and raised concerns about potential health impacts, noise and declining property values.

In another letter, Butte Valley real estate broker Tara Anderson argued that telecommunications towers in rural settings can negatively affect marketability and resale values, noting that many residents choose to live outside city limits specifically to avoid urban infrastructure.

Planning staff reported the Gridley project meets zoning and setback requirements for agricultural land and described the monopole design as less visually obtrusive than lattice-style towers. Commissioners ultimately found the proposal consistent with county policies supporting expanded telecommunications infrastructure.

The commission also heard lengthy testimony on a separate Verizon Wireless and Everest Infrastructure Partners proposal to construct a 165-foot monopole with an additional 5-foot lightning rod on a 144.88-acre agricultural parcel along Flag Creek Road, about 5.8 miles north of Oroville.

That project exceeds the county’s 100-foot base height limit for telecommunications facilities in agricultural zones. Rather than take action, commissioners postponed the proposal until April to allow further review of the requested height and supporting analysis.

Public testimony on the Oroville project centered heavily on health fears and property values.

Mike Newman addressed the commission, describing his past battle with lymphoma and expressing concern that long-term exposure to radio frequency emissions could pose unknown risks.

“I just can’t believe that this radiation in 20 years won’t cause me problems,” he said. “My ask of you guys is just to take personal health care into consideration.”

Ryann Newman addressed the commission, saying her family previously declined a lease offer to host the tower on their own property after researching potential health impacts. Her husband is a cancer survivor participating in a long-term clinical study, she said, and the possibility of prolonged electromagnetic field exposure is deeply concerning.

“I believe we do not know what we do not know about this technology,” Newman said.

Other residents emphasized the rural character of Butte Valley and Butte Canyon, warning that a structure of that scale would permanently alter the landscape.

“This valley is one of the few remaining areas where open habitat and historic rural character can still be enjoyed,” resident Jamie McDaniel told commissioners.

The Oroville proposal is scheduled to be returned to the commission on April 16.