Neighbors and school community, we need your help!

Summary of Issue:

• MB has approved the installation of a cell site (5G) directly in front of a home on 1720 N. Poinsettia Avenue, near Pacific Elementary School. 
• Concerns from neighbors include potential health impacts from increased EMFs, drop in property values, impact on aesthetics and noise levels. 
• We are asking our community to make their voices heard about this, and future installations/upgrades to cell towers in our town. Federal regulations make it difficult for cities to exert control over the placement of cell towers, but we feel our city can do more to protect our health, property values, and community aesthetics. 

What You Can Do:

• Email City Councilmembers and express your concern about the cell tower on Poinsettia Avenue and elsewhere in the city.  These sites should be placed in commercial areas, away from homes and schools. Please do this now because the appeal deadline for this site is June 20th. Who to contact:
  • Mayor Joe Franklin - jfranklin@manhattanbeach.gov
  • Richard Montgomery - rmontgomery@manhattanbeach.gov
  • Amy Howorth - ahoworth@manhattanbeach.gov 
  • Steve Napolitano - snapolitano@manhattanbeach.gov
  • David Lesser - dlesser@manhattanbeach.gov
• Make your voices heard at City Council Meetings on Tuesdays at 6:00pm.  
• Share this petition with fellow Manhattan Beach friends/neighbors.

Details of Issue:

On June 6th, our Manhattan Beach Community Development Director approved an upgrade to a cell tower on 1720 N. Poinsettia Avenue.  This will reside on a street that experiences heavy foot traffic from families walking to and from Pacific Elementary School. Although there are cell towers on corners of residential streets throughout our city, this cell tower sits directly in front of a home, not on a corner. 

Neighbors were notified of this over the weekend of June 1st, via letter from Crown Castle. This letter, which was incredibly vague regarding the upgrade, noted that this work was likely to be approved by our City and that residents would then have a mere TWO DAYS to appeal. It was only after neighbors sent emails to the City's project manager that they agreed to extend the appeal period for two weeks. Our city planners had known about this since January 30th, when the application was submitted to the City, yet residents were only notified 3 business days prior to the City's approval of that permit. We deserve better from our city officials. 

There are several reasons residents are concerned about this:

1. Potential Health Impacts: Increased exposure to EMF has, at best, a lot of unknown affects and, at worst, detrimental health impacts. Limiting exposure can help protect public health while allowing more time for comprehensive scientific research to be conducted. Studies in this area are mixed, however there is mounting evidence that exposure is harmful.  So why not minimize exposure whenever possible to lessen risks, especially where children are involved? Other countries and cities within the United States have recognized this and taken proactive measures that prioritize the well-being of their residents by imposing minimum distance requirements for wireless stations from residential areas and schools. Why can't Manhattan Beach do the same until risks are fully understood? This upgraded cell tower would be a mere 280 feet from Pacific’s lower field and many families will be walking past it daily to get to and from school. 
2. Drop in Property Values: The National Association of Realtors estimates that having a cell phone tower near your home can negatively impact your property value by up to 7.6%. Other experts estimate impacts that are over double that. This is a huge hit for homeowners. Will the City or telecommunication companies compensate homeowners for this loss? 
3. Aesthetics and Sound: The upgrade to this existing pole consists of adding a 30”x27”x50 box 10 feet from the ground.  It will be an eyesore, diminish the street's beauty and deter from the quality of life of residents on that street, as well as all the families walking past it to get to school.  It will likely be producing a humming/whirling sound that residents won't be able to escape.  No one wants this in their front yard or on their street. 

We recognize the general need for cell service in our daily lives and are not against our city finding responsible ways to provide this for residents. We also recognize that Federal Laws regulating telecommunication installation makes it challenging for cities to assert control over these installations. Challenging does not mean impossible.

We urge our elected officials to prioritize this issue and do the following: 

1. Assist us in the appeal of the cell upgrade on Poinsettia Avenue. Restrict cell towers in residential neighborhoods and near schools, whenever possible.
2. Find alternative locations in non-residential areas; do not count on the telecommunication companies to do this work. They do not have our city's best interest at heart. Review what other cities have done that works well. 
3. Be more transparent about proposed cell facilities or upgrades to existing ones and provide residents ample time to research and appeal these decisions if necessary. 
4. Hire outside experts in this field to help both the community and our planning department navigate this more successfully in the future. 

Thank you for your support Manhattan Beach! If you'd like to be more involved in this issue, please email your City Councilmembers with your concerns or attend City Council meetings. Make your voice heard before a cell tower pops up in your front yard!