A new 89-foot cell tower, disguised as an elm tree, will soon be a new addition to a San Tan Valley neighborhood just north west of Florence. The Pinal County Board of Supervisors has approved construction of the tower at 6497 E Sunnyslope Dr, on a 5.07-acre residential property south of East Heritage Road and west of North Mitchell Trail. The property currently includes a manufactured home with a septic system that was placed there in 1998, and a workshop that was added in 2016. The owner has agreed to lease a portion of his property to Vertical Bridge for the cell tower installation.
Vertical Bridge LLC and T-Mobile will build the tower, which will be designed to look like a tall elm tree with an additional 4-foot lightning rod at its top. The facility will include a backup generator for power outages that will run weekly tests for 15 minutes. During these tests, nearby residents can expect noise levels of 75-85 decibels, comparable to a city street with heavy traffic, a noisy restaurant, or a vacuum cleaner. The tower and its equipment, including the generator, will be surrounded by an 8-foot high wall, painted in light tan colors to blend in with the desert landscape.
The location is in the heart of a residential area, with homes to the north, south, and east, and undeveloped land to the west. While there are two existing 60-foot palm tree-styled towers in the vicinity, and another T-Mobile tower more than four miles away, this new tower will be significantly taller at 89 feet. While T-Mobile will be the initial carrier on the tower, the structure is designed to accommodate additional wireless carriers who may join in the future.
At a community meeting held on February 1, 2024, at the San Tan Valley Library, local residents gathered to discuss the project. Of the eleven community members who attended, ten expressed support for the tower due to lack of coverage in the area. However, local resident Christine Trent voiced strong opposition to the project. In her formal comments to the county, Trent emphasized that the property is zoned for residential use and argued that a cell tower would be more appropriate on commercial property. She urged county officials to encourage the developers to find an alternative commercial location for the tower rather than placing it in a residential neighborhood.
The Pinal County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the project with 13 conditions, including requirements for proper maintenance, landscaping, and removal of the facility if it’s no longer needed in the future. Construction is expected to take about three months.
Residents who want to learn more about the project can view the detailed plans at the Pinal County Planning and Development Department in Florence.
