AT&T nixes cell tower plans
A spokesman for AT&T has confirmed that the company has withdrawn its application to install a cell phone tower in Southwest Pasadena.
The proposal, which would have placed the structure on open space next to the Hillsides children services facility off of Church Street, had met with fierce opposition from neighbors and spawned the formation of a community group dedicated to keep the hillside land as open space.
AT&T has decided that it can "provide the necessary coverage without pursuing this particular site," said company spokesman Geoff Mordock. Mordock, however, did not rule out the possibility that AT&T might look for other cell tower locations in the area.
Joan Dooley, a high school teacher and Hillsides neighbor who has opposed construction of the tower, was happy to hear about AT&T's decision. But she expressed concern that another phone company might swoop in and piggyback onto AT&T's abandoned application. She said Hillsides, which had a contract with AT&T to allow construction of the tower, has said it lacks the funds to maintain the property in its natural state.
Still waiting to hear from Hillsides or the city about whether the application could still be continued by another company, or whether the children's facility is still interested in renting out the space to another telecom. Until then, it is hard to say whether this issue is truly dead.