Proposal to put in Verizon cell tower at swim membership divides Fairfax Co. neighborhood

A proposal to put in a wi-fi cellphone tower close to a tennis court docket at a Fairfax County group swim and tennis membership has divided residents within the Mantua neighborhood of Northern Virginia.

On Tuesday, the Mantua Swim and Tennis Club is scheduled to host a gathering for its 600 member households to vote on a plan that will enable Verizon to put in a 150-foot wi-fi tower subsequent to a tennis court docket.

The scheduled vote is for a proposed bylaw modification. Verizon would want to get zoning approval from the county if members vote to advance the proposal.

In a press release, the membership mentioned it has offered impartial research and detailed responses to anticipated inquiries to its member households. The plan, it mentioned, would assist enhance service for Verizon prospects, one thing some residents have advocated for.

But different membership members, and residents of surrounding neighborhoods, worry the tower can be an eyesore and reduce their property values. Some have posted on neighborhood Facebook pages questioning about attainable well being results of residing close to the tower.

“This is a situation of concentrated cost to a small number of people and diffused, very minor benefits to other people,” mentioned Jason Brennan, who lives in Mantua and has already voted towards the mission. “It’s like a bunch of us are going to be looking at this really ugly thing for a long time. It will devalue our property, and in exchange, our pool club gets a small amount of money and a number of other people have slightly better cellphone coverage.”

By leasing the membership property for the tower, the Mantua Swim and Tennis Club would get hire each month and additional funds for future carriers that select to make the most of the tower, according to its website. The mission received’t embrace strobe or beacon lighting, the membership mentioned, and Verizon will in the end pay for it to be eliminated.

The membership’s property consists of land in each Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. The tower can be constructed on land inside Fairfax County.

Matt Mullin, president of the Mantua Citizens Association, mentioned whereas the group doesn’t have an official place on the proposal, “Mantua is a hilly, forested community of about 1,600 homes. Cell service can be poor because of those beautiful trees and hills, and people have experienced dropped calls.”

Some homes have already got crimson indicators on their lawns urging neighbors to vote towards the thought, “for health, safety and property values,” the indicators mentioned.

“This is imposing a significant cost on the value of my property, and I don’t want to bear that just because you’re not willing to get on the phone and take a $25 bonus to switch carriers to get one that works,” Brennan mentioned.

Neighboring help

WTOP/Scott Gelman

WTOP/Scott Gelman

WTOP/Scott Gelman

In a press release, the sports activities membership mentioned solely members are voting as a result of it’s a “private, member-owned club. Under Virginia law and our bylaws, only members have legal voting rights on club business.”

But close by group members have considerations too. In a letter, the Board of Directors of the Pickett’s Reserve neighborhood mentioned the tower would “essentially be in the backyard of several of our homes.” There are about 90 houses in Pickett’s Reserve, the letter mentioned.

“While both neighborhoods would benefit from increased cellphone coverage, we certainly would not do so at the expense of the existing tranquility that is currently shared by both of our communities,” the letter mentioned.

In a separate letter, the Stockbridge Homeowners’ Association board mentioned it surveyed a few of its residents and located some are supportive of improved service and the funding that the tower would generate for the pool group. Others anxious “the construction of the tower could be dangerous to people playing tennis and those living close to the site,” the letter mentioned.

Brennan mentioned the circumstances have “really made me lose a lot of respect for my neighbors. These people do what I call ‘pearl clutching.’ Pearl clutching is when you talk in a passive aggressive tone and then when someone challenges you, you clutch your pearls and go, ‘I can’t believe you’re talking that way.’”

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