Residents worry proposed SLO County cell tower could threaten their health. Is it safe?

A proposed Verizon Wireless cell tower drew the ire Arroyo Grande mobile home park residents worried about health impacts of such a project — but representatives of the company say their concerns are unfounded.

Sunrise Terrace Mobile Home Park resident Ethel “Tink” Landers built her home in 2019, intending to live out her retirement and eventually sell it when the time comes to move into assisted living.

She said the tower wouldn’t be a concern if it wasn’t so close to her home, which is just a few hundred feet removed from the proposed location on a mixed-use lot near the park entrance — potentially close enough to impact property values and the health of the park’s residents, she said.

“As a single woman, you’ve really got to plan that out,” Landers said. “I want to be independent enough to take care of myself, but if I lose 20-25% in value of my home because of the cell tower, that is a tremendous amount of money for me.”

Landers and more than 250 other park residents signed a petition opposing the project when they first learned of it in February.

She and other residents near the proposed 55-foot, 18-antenna tower were specifically concerned about supposed impacts of 5G radio frequencies, fearing side effects such as nausea, headaches, cancer and respiratory problems, though organizations such as the World Health Organization generally agree that 5G signals have no observable adverse health effects on humans.

In a statement to The Tribune, Verizon said their towers do not pose health risks to individuals who live near a project site.

“Verizon takes very seriously the health and safety of our employees and customers, and of all residents in the communities we serve,” the statement read. “All Verizon facilities, including the small cells that Verizon is deploying to provide 5G service, are required to comply with the FCC safety standards.”

Why was Arroyo Grande location selected?

At its Feb. 6 meeting, the Arroyo Grande Planning Commission voted to tentatively deny the tower proposal and later denied the project at its Feb. 20 meeting.

Arroyo Grande assistant planner Shayna Gropen told The Tribune the applicant selected its preferred location at 789 Valley Road due to favorable radio frequency conditions like elevation, height and access for repairs.

Additionally, the tower — which was supposed to be encased in a fake water tower shell to prevent it from sticking out — was supposed to be less of an eyesore in that location, Gropen said.

Though four site alternatives were considered by the applicant, only one other site — St. John’s Lutheran Church at 959 Valley Road — met the needs of the cell tower, Gropen said.

“The Planning Commission’s denial of the project was partially attributed to the fact that the Commission did not think that the applicant sufficiently explored St. John’s Church as an alternative site,” Gropen told The Tribune.

Jeff Metcalfe, an Arroyo Grande resident and member of St. John’s, said builder Sequoia Development reached out to the church in January 2023 inquiring about the feasibility of the property, but the church didn’t make a decision fast enough.

Metcalfe said he only became aware of the growing resistance to the project when Sunrise Terrace residents reached out, asking him to take another look at being a site alternative.

“St. John’s doesn’t have an issue between the applicants and the city and the residents of Sunrise Terrace,” Metcalfe said. “We don’t have a position on any of them for any reason, but St. John’s stands ready if those three entities can come to an amiable solution.”

Do cell towers actually pose health risks?

In its statement, Verizon asserted that its towers don’t pose a health risk.

Verizon’s statement also said 5G networks emit less radio frequency energy than older model cell towers — one of senior residents’ major concerns about the site near their homes.

Similarly, Gropen said the FCC provides technical guidelines for evaluating RF safety requirements — and legally prevents cities from denying new wireless facility applications without cause.

That 1997 rule legally prevents wireless project denials if an applicant has demonstrated compliance with FCC regulations, meaning health and property value concerns cannot serve as a justification to deny a project.

Meanwhile, Sunrise Terrace residents such as Landers said they’ll stay adamant in their opposition to a project near their property, saying they feel the existing rules are too outdated to cover 5G RF signals.

“The Environmental Health Trust has probably 50 different, more current studies than the Telecommunication Act of ‘96, and it talks about everything from migraines to nervous system imbalances to cancer to cardiac issues,” Landers said. “That’s the problem — these regulations are decades behind the technology.”

Most scientific bodies do not consider beliefs about adverse health impacts from 5G RF signals — such as those held by the Environmental Health Trust — to be scientifically sound.

Fact checker Politifact considers most theories on the frequency’s health impacts to be false, finding that misinformation often can play a role in skewing public perception of 5G.

What’s up next for Verizon 5G tower plan?

It’s unclear exactly what Verizon’s future plans are.

Arroyo Grande community development director Brian Pedrotti said the city has only received the application for the Sunrise Terrace location, which has since been appealed to the City Council while alternatives are considered.

Metcalfe told The Tribune the communications company has reached out to St. John’s about further exploring the church as a project site since its February denial, but didn’t expect a decision until this summer.

Because the church is usually unoccupied, he said he didn’t share the same concern as the Sunrise Terrace residents about exposure to RF signals.

“I think the city’s going to pick the lesser of two evils, which would be us,” Metcalfe said.

A request for further comment to Verizon on its future plans was not returned Friday.