The Purdon Road Community

 

Aleena Church, Assistant Planner

Nevada County Planning Department

950 Maidu Avenue, Suite 170

P.O. Box 599002

Nevada City, CA 95959

 

Regarding: Conditional Use Permit to construct and operate an unmanned wireless telecommunications facility on APN 062-180-031-000 located at 22044 Purdon Road in Nevada City, Ca

 

File PLN25-0133; CUP25-0009; ElS25-0001

 

Dear Alenna Church,

 

We are writing to formally oppose the proposed communication tower on APN 062-180-031-000 located at 22044 Purdon Road in Nevada City, Ca.  This proposal is inconsistent with the current character of our community and presents multiple risks, including decreased property values, increased fire hazards, introduction of industrial noise from a generator, light pollution, wildlife hazard, potential increased traffic for maintenance and destruction of current aesthetic value. The building of this planned communication tower will destroy our peaceful community.

 

While this area is not densely populated, it is home to a dedicated, vibrant community deeply committed to living in harmony with nature. Nestled alongside the pristine South Yuba State Park, this community is defined by its deep-rooted agricultural heritage, including 4th generation farm land and its position as a primary access point to park land. The proposed tower represents an inappropriate development that will severely degrade the visual integrity of the river canyon gateway and disrupt the established character of our residential community. The property owner, Daniel Jarboe, is a new resident and may not realize how out of step with the community a communication tower would be.

 

The zoning of the surrounding land as open space, agricultural and forest aims to protect natural resources, encourage low-intensity development, and manage forest land in conjunction with agriculture. The surrounding parcels are OS, FR-40, AG-20 AG-40,  zoning designed to preserve and protect natural, undeveloped land, habitats, and near by state park land.  Development should be restricted to maintain environmental, aesthetic, and public health benefits.

 

The value of this land lies in its tranquility. Our community is dedicated to preserving wildlife, and the scenic beauty of our surroundings. A communications tower would fundamentally destroy this ecological haven, crashing the property values that are predicated on peace and nature.

 

 

We have outlined below our primary objections to the communication tower being built:

 

DESTRUCTION OF COMMUNITY
The proposed structure disrupts the character, aesthetic, and social cohesion of our neighborhood.

•   Visual Pollution: The tower will be an industrial blight, that ruins the scenic beauty, tranquility, and character of the area.

•   Irreconcilable Land Use: A communication tower is inappropriate for this rural zone.

•   Loss of Community Character: The tower is a symbol of urban encroachment that breaks the sense of a rural community.

•   Property devaluation

FIRE DANGER

There are legitimate concerns about communication towers, both catching fire spontaneously due to an electrical or mechanical failure, and also increased vulnerability of communication towers to fail in a fire due to damage or loss of power, especially in our high fire danger area. There are well documented fires, collapse, falling debris, and other dangers caused by communication tower accidents. Communication towers pose significant risks and hazards due to their combination of high-powered electrical equipment, backup batteries, and densely packed electronics and near by stores of gasoline. All communication towers are electrical devices and can catch fire. As electrical fires they cannot be put out by water directly due to the risk of electrocution. 

RISKS TO WILDLIFE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Communication towers pose risks to wildlife primarily through two mechanisms: physical hazards, such as collisions, and potential physiological and behavioral disruption caused by radiofrequency (RF) radiation

Communication towers, particularly tall, guy-wired, and lighted structures, present a significant collision risk to birds and bats, especially nocturnal species.

•   Guy Wires: These support cables are often difficult for birds to see, leading to fatal collisions, particularly during night flights or inclement weather.

•   Lighting: Lights can attract and disorient migrating birds, causing them to aggregate and circle the tower, where they may collide with the structure or die from exhaustion. 

•   Location: Towers located in or near migratory flight corridors and along ridge lines pose great danger. Many of the properties surrounding the proposed location have either seasonal or year round ponds and wetlands and have frequent visiting migratory birds including Canada geese mallard ducks and great blue herons which are protected by the migratory bird treaty act.

•   Disrupted Orientation and Migration: Many species, including birds and bees rely on the Earth's natural magnetic fields for navigation (magnetoreception). Anthropogenic RF fields can interfere with this natural compass, leading to disorientation, impaired foraging, and an inability to return to nests or dens. 

•   Reproductive and Developmental Issues: Studies have reported decreased reproduction rates, altered embryonic development, reduced egg laying in birds and insects, and increased mortality in tadpoles exposed to radiation from phone masts.

•   Behavioral and Physiological Changes: Research indicates impacts such as increased stress, altered metabolism, suppressed immune responses, and changes in behavior (e.g., aggression, decreased appetite, hyperactivity) in various animals and livestock exposed to RF radiation.

•   Impact on Insects and Pollinators: Insects, particularly bees, are highly vulnerable to RF radiation, which may contribute to colony collapse disorder. The higher frequencies used in 5G networks may be especially harmful to insects due to their small size, leading to increased radiation absorption and potential heating effects.

•   Damage to Flora: Long-term field studies have found damage to trees located near cell towers, with symptoms like leaf loss, bark damage, and stunted growth observed on the side of the tree facing the antenna. 

Current U.S. exposure guidelines were designed for humans based on short-term heating effects and do not adequately protect wildlife from long-term, low-level exposures or non-thermal biological effects. Scientists and environmental groups are calling for new, specific regulations and environmental impact reviews to protect flora and fauna.

VISUAL/LIGHT POLLUTION

The lighting for the tower will disrupt night skies, and disruption to wildlife.

 

•   Visual Pollution: Towers can be considered "eyesores" that degrade scenic corridors and residential views, particularly when they feature bright lighting.

 

•   Safety and Health: Intense tower lights can cause "night blindness" for drivers and pedestrians and disrupt sleep patterns for nearby residents.

 

•   Environmental Impact: Artificial light from towers disorients wildlife, including migrating birds.

 

NOISE POLLUTION

•   Disturbance of Quiet Enjoyment: The tower will brings noise, traffic, and strangers (maintenance crews) into a quiet, peaceful neighborhood..

•   Diesel engines produce a low-frequency rumble that can carry further and feel more "intrusive" than higher-pitched gas generators. Sound travels incredibly well in the surrounding area, and when in operation the generator will be a great disturbance to the peace of the area.

We trust that the significant community opposition will guide your decision-making process, leading to the rejection of this communication tower, thereby upholding trust in our local government.

 

Regards,

Residents of the Purdon Road Community