Nocatee residents fight Jacksonville cell tower

Residents of the Nocatee community in St. Johns County are pushing back against a cell tower planned for construction just over the border in neighboring Duval County.

The group of residents started by launching a petition that has collected nearly 1,500 signatures, and they have also launched a fundraiser that has collected $900 to raise money for legal fees if the tower is approved.

Jacksonville’s Planning Commission will hear the project Thursday, and the city’s planning staff is recommending the body turn it down.

Telecommunications provider Sonoc Co. is looking for Jacksonville to approve the construction of the 170-foot-tall cell tower. T-Mobile, the company looking to take advantage of it, says the new tower would provide improved cell service for people in and around the Nocatee area.

But the project doesn’t meet Jacksonville’s setback requirements due to proximity to wetlands and roads. Documentation from the city shows the Planning Department is arguing that it doesn’t match the character of the area — that it would stick out and be “visible from several neighborhoods.”

“The area can be characterized as single-family subdivisions and a church surrounded by wetland areas,” a Planning Department report says.

Nocatee resident Jennifer Kennedy has been involved in the organized opposition to the project for months, and she hopes the Planning Commission turns it down. Approving the project, she says, would set a bad precedent for future development in the greater Jacksonville area.

“We’re very passionate about it. We just want the city to uphold the setbacks, because even though we’re in St. Johns County, it’s the greater Jacksonville area,” Kennedy says. “We work in Jacksonville, we play in Jacksonville.”

If approved, the tower would be built near several neighborhoods and a church, and residents have also expressed worries about potential health effects of the radio frequencies emitting from the cell tower.

“Studies by reputable organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) raise concerns about the potential health effects of long-term exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) emitted by cell towers, especially for developing children,” the group’s petition says.

The key word there is potential — agencies like the World Health Organization have maintained for years that while it is unlikely cell towers emit frequencies that could have adverse health effects on people nearby, more research is needed. In addition, some skeptics have questioned whether tests conducted in previous decades are applicable to newer, more powerful wireless technologies. The Federal Communications Commission maintains that there’s nothing to worry about .

After a tied vote earlier this year from the Jacksonville Planning Commission, the body will discuss the project again Thursday.

The Planning Commission meeting will start at 1 p.m. in Room 1002 of the Edward Ball Building at 214 N. Hogan St. in Jacksonville. The meeting will be streamed live on the City of Jacksonville’s website .

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