Council Commends AT&T for Its Riviera Cell-Tower Decision

AT&T and the Pacific Palisades Community Council finally reached a consensus on the placement of a cell tower site in the Riviera neighborhood at last Thursday’s meeting.   John Delavigne, a Technology Associates real estate specialist representing AT&T, announced that the company plans to replace an existing street light standard on the corner of Napoli Drive and Sunset Boulevard with a new, taller pole that will serve as a streetlight and cell tower. The cell antennas will be hidden inside a canister so they are not visible.   ’We have been really trying to come up with a design that makes everyone happy,’ Delavigne said. ‘There is no coverage [in the Riviera]; I think it will be a great thing.’   Council member Barbara Kohn applauded AT&T for its proposal, saying it would mean no new poles creating visual blight in the public right-of-way.   AT&T representatives first approached the Council in January about potential locations for a cell tower, including the Riviera Country Club’s parking lot, which the Council opposed.   The last time AT&T representatives met with the Council on June 24, they proposed placing a 45-foot cell tower disguised as a cypress tree at 13540 Sunset Blvd., east of Capri, with two live cypress trees planted next to it. At that meeting, the Council informed AT&T that it would prefer the company use an existing light standard. The representatives agreed to work with the L.A. Bureau of Street Lighting on the possibility.   To thank AT&T for its efforts, Council member Marguerite Perkins Mautner recommended a motion, which the Council unanimously approved, saying ‘We as the Council extend our appreciation to AT&T for facilitating the best possible tower for our neighborhood. We hope that it will become a model for future installations in other parts of the City of Los Angeles.’   Delavigne told the Council that he would return with more specifics about the exact height and diameter of the replacement pole. AT&T still has to apply for approval for the site through the L.A. Bureau of Engineering.