- April 25, 2024
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Pat Tomnay was happy to escape the hustle and bustle of California and move to Grand Haven. But she feels her pristine neighborhood is being threatened by a proposed cell phone tower designed near the maintenance tower of the second hole of the golf course.
Last month, a letter was sent to residents by RG Towers to seek residential input about a proposed 150-foot communications tower. The tower is too high for current height restrictions, so RG Towers will be seeking an exception from the city of Palm Coast.
In the neighborhood meeting, Tomnay and other residents were told the tower would be disguised as a pole with an American flag and lights beaconing over the treetops. RG Towers could then rent out tower space to cell phone carriers, possibly increasing the strength of signal to users.
With the threat of the tower impeding on her neighborhood, she decided to take action and rally her friends in Grand Haven.
“Can you really do this?” Tomnay said. “There are so many other places they could put it.”
As far as the city of Palm Coast is concerned, the proposed tower is still very early in the development process and some regulations in place would have to change if RG Towers is to move forward with its plans.
“We have had some discussions with (RG Towers), but we haven’t received any kind of application or anything like that,” said Steve Viscardi, director of information, technology and communications for the city.
Grand Haven is part of a planned-unit development, which means any development wishing to have PUD status must apply with the city and is held to certain guidelines and regulations dictating everything from what buildings may be on the property to the architectural style of the homes. The tower would have to satisfy Grand Haven restrictions as well as the city’s.
Guidelines or not, it’s the possibility of a 150-foot tower shining over the night sky near the second hole that worries Tomnay and her neighbors.
“I think everyone in this neighborhood believes that cell phones are a way of life today, but the city should be careful where they allow the cell towers to be built,” she said.
