About 40 La Jolla residents spoke out Thursday, July 5, at the La Jolla Community Planning Association meeting against a cellular service’s proposal to erect a 30-foot tower on a Soledad Road public right-of-way.
Positioned on the 5500 block of Soledad Road at the corner of Thunderbird Lane, the tower site would be centered in a residential neighborhood and in close proximity to several private properties, according to Lance Peto, LJCPA vice president.
“The planning group was unanimous in supporting the community in denying the cell tower,” said Peto, who headed the meeting in the absence of LJCPA President Tim Golba. “The controversy is, are we as a community allowed to regulate cell towers? The city attorney has said it’s a state and FCC issue. We voted against it, but it will be interesting to see what happens in terms of when it goes before the city.”
City Attorney Michael Aguirre was present at the meeting and touched briefly on cell towers, deferring an official opinion until his office had more time to research the issue, according to Peto.
Aguirre also discussed the idea of a citizens bill of rights, which would empower residents and give them an increased amount of control over their communities, Peto said.
Aguirre gave no specific examples or strategies for providing community groups more power, according to Peto.
In other business, representatives from the University of California, San Diego presented the university’s long-range development plan, including all existing and future campus projects.
Residents were mainly concerned with increased traffic congestion due to campus expansion, Peto said, adding that the presentation was solely informational.
University officials told residents that the transit system UCSD provides would alleviate the majority of traffic-related problems by encouraging students and faculty to use public transportation, according to Peto.
“The Community Planning Association fully supports the university,” Peto said. “We think UCSD is a great institution and a world-renowned facility.”
The La Jolla Community Planning Association meets at 6 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at the La Jolla Community Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St.
For more information, visit www.lajollacpa.org or send e-mail to [email protected].