CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

Private Company Seeks to Add Poles Along Coast Highway; Cameo Neighborhood Impacted

A private company will go before the City Council tonight, seeking permission to add five freestanding poles along Coast Highway, including four in and near Corona del Mar — or to get a price break to use the city’s existing poles.

The proposed poles, which would be used to add antennas that will help provide transfer services to other wireless companies, would be placed in front of the Cameo Highlands neighborhood as well as at East Coast Highway and MacArthur Boulevard, East Coast Highway and Jamboree Road, East Coast Highway near Pelican Point Drive, and West Coast Highway near Superior Ave. The poles would be more than 30 feet tall.

The issue is on the agenda for Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. According to a staff report, the company, NextG Networks, is seeking to add the poles, although the antennas could be added to existing public works poles with no health risks to residents, and with far less impact on their views.

City staff is recommending that City Council deny the application for the five poles. Read the entire report, which includes renderings of what the poles would look like, here.

The company, however, would be happy to use existing poles, executives claim, but the city’s fee of $1,500 per month to use existing infrastructure is too high, according to a letter that company officials sent to the city; they also sent a copy of the letter to Corona del Mar Today.

“Of course, this issue could be avoided if the City were willing to allow access to its existing poles at a fair and reasonable price,” the letter states. “The City is currently asking for a license fee that is more than double the amount of revenue that NextG receives for its installation from its customer…”

The letter from Patrick S. Ryan, NextG’s vice president of government relations and regulatory affairs, proposes $500 per year for use of existing poles. The city staff report says that Spring and T-Mobile pay $1,100 per month to use city poles for their equipment in deals negotiated two years ago before updates to telecom rates.

Residents from the Cameo Highlands and Cameo Shores neighborhoods have said they do not want to see additional street poles in front of their homes.

The City Council meeting begins at 7 p.m. tonight in Council Chambers at 3300 Newport Boulevard.

At a 5 p.m. Study Session that also is open to the public, the Council will discuss King Palm trees to be planted at the Oasis Senior Center, and concerns some neighbors have about the trees blocking their views.

Image taken from the staff report.