PEORIA, Ariz. - A debate over a new cell phone tower in Vistancia is heading to the Peoria City Council, following a recent denial by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission.
Despite the commission's initial rejection of the project application, the neighborhood battle is far from over. If approved, the cell tower would be built at the Foothills Center off Westland Road.
Neighbors report that cell phone service in this area has been a challenge for years, but not everyone is on board with the proposed location. The Peoria City Council is set to review the proposed cell phone tower in Vistancia, a project backed by frustrated residents who are tired of dropped calls.
What they're saying:
"I would love to have a cell tower," resident Andrea Krupa said. "There is horrible service up here."
Another resident, April McCormick, pushed back against the current placement.
"Find another site for this tower that’s appropriate and the least intrusive to the residents living here," McCormick said.
Spotty cell service is an issue these neighbors have been dealing with for years.
"I’ve been in a car accident down the road, and I wasn’t able to call for emergency services because I had no cell phone service," a resident named Jason said.
Krupa noted that the lack of connectivity impacts daily routines and safety.
"Picking up your kids from school, there is zero service," Krupa said. "You can’t contact anybody. If there was an emergency, you’d have to connect to Wi-Fi."
Residents have attempted to find temporary workarounds to stay connected.
"We’ve had to use other resources like little cell boosters and those work temporarily but not always the most reliable," resident Bob Cannon said.
According to Jason, the infrastructure has failed to keep pace with the area's growth.
"It’s gotten worse since the population out here has increased," Jason said. "What little cell phone service we had out here has been kind of saturated, so it’s been an ongoing problem and only getting worse."
However, the specific location proposed for the new cell tower has drawn sharp criticism from opponents who point to nearby community spaces.
"We have homes 200 feet that way. We have a children’s playground right there. It will go right in front of that. We have their pool and their elementary school, McCormick said. "Some residents who just paid $1.6 million for view lots will have a view front and center of the top of the tower."
Dig deeper:
The Planning and Zoning Commission recently recommended denying the application for the cell phone tower over hesitation regarding the location. But the developer issued a last-minute appeal, pushing the decision to a vote where the City Council will either greenlight the tower, block it, or force a compromise.
Neighbors remain deeply divided on their hopes for how it moves forward.
"We can do better than this," April said. "There is no shortage of places it can go. We have mountains all around us."
"I think the cell tower would be a big benefit to the community out here," Jason said.
What's next:
The City Council is encouraging community members to show up to the meeting to voice their opinions. The meeting is scheduled for June 2 at 6 p.m.