Cornville is set to receive a new cell tower soon, but some members of the community oppose the location, the height or both. The proposed cell tower by SQF LLC will be located behind Cornville Country Market at 9420 E. Cornville Road. While the site will broaden cell coverage in the area, it comes at the cost of having a 100-foot tower protruding into the sky.
According to social media posts, many community members agree that Cornville needs better cell service, but some say the proposed location for the tower is not optimal as it obstructs views of the landscape for residents in the area.
“Cornville definitely needs a tower,” local business owner Corey Colvin said. “But where they are looking at putting it is right in a valley. It’s not even going to touch Page Springs …. It’s really not an effective place. They could put it up on the ridge of that same valley, instead of right next to homes.”
Colvin lives very close to the proposed location for the tower and said that he can live with the electromagnetic radiation that some residents are concerned with. The points concerning him are property values dropping due to the tower being there and the fact that it blocks the view directly out of his window.
Tilson/SQF LLC, the developers for the project, presented to the Cornville Community Association’s Planning and Zoning Committee on Oct. 27, showing a plan for the tower to be disguised as a tree.
“The faux tree design is created to blend into the area with minimal impact,” said Michael Campbell, an independent consultant hired by the developers of the project.
For Cornville resident Gillian Goslinga, who lives about 3,000 feet due north of the proposed tower, the tree camouflage is not enough.
“We have the tattoo parlor, hairdresser and all kinds of other boutiques and restaurants moving in, so we could have a really cute little downtown,” Goslinga said. “This tower placement will forever change the character of our valley; we deserve to evaluate all options on the table.”
Goslinga said that the fact that there was no public hearing about the project shows a lack of due diligence by the CCA. However, the Cornville Community Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group and has no governmental or regulatory authority. Votes by the association and its committees have no legal impact on county decisions.
While some residents are concerned about the tower to the point of trying to hire a lawyer and file an online petition to rally against the project, which has gathered only 55 signatures, there is support from other members of the community who think the pros of having more coverage in the area outweigh the cons.
Cornville resident Rich Jones said he is in support of the tower because it will save lives by bringing more service to the area.
“For every counterproductive argument there is — you know, everybody is entitled to their opinion — there are real life-and-death situations that occur based on cell tower availability,” Jones said.
According to Campbell, one of the main added benefits to the new tower is enhanced signal for emergency services and first responders.
The new site will improve the wireless network of AT&T, but it has the potential for other carriers to piggyback on the tower’s connection in the future.
Cell phone service in the area is very poor, and developers are ready to fix the problem should the Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission and Yavapai County Board of Supervisors approve the project.
Campbell said the facility will likely be completed by the end of summer 2022.
