Well, this is overly dramatic and not realistic. Are they going to chop down all the trees to put up the tower? No. Is the tower going to be taller than the trees? I think not. Will the butterflies die off due to it? Negative. Let's not yell from the rooftops like carnival barkers to stir up controversy unnecessarily.

I live on Albany Hill, and I am NOT concerned about the tower OR the butterflies.

Sorry, but this Albany resident would quite like decent cell coverage. They can make camouflaged cell towers that look just like a tree these days so I'm with AMM on this: you're blowing things out of proportion here.

where on the hill? last time I saw the butterflies they were in a very small, specific part of the hill...most likely not the exact spot where a tower could go.
take a deep breath, its gonna be ok....

Put up a tower but get rid of that offensive cross.

There is ample science that indicate that these towers don't cause harm, including a long term study by the Green Party in Germany that was sure it would find validation otherwise. We need to get on with living in the future and dealing with the real problems in our world and not live in fear created by psuedo-science. The sky is not falling!!!

Oh my God...what a letter! First folks wanted all the trees logged off the hill because they were not "native" species. Now the trees must be saved from the cell site. Crazy...
the fact is, we won't even notice the installation as it will look just like another tree.
This city needs several new cell sites, not just one on the hill.

Yes, this diatribe is a little over the top. Really? The last hill in the East Bay? C'mon. Today's cell towers can be disguised as trees. I'm confident that you've driven or walked right by towers without knowing they're there. Face it, cellular technology is rapidly replacing conventional wire based communication networks. I'll take the removal of overhead lines for well disguised cell towers any day.

Cell phone towers on Albany Hill? Gasp. My newly formed special interest group ARAE Albany Residents Against Everything will fight this, the invasive eucalyptus, and these nomadic squatting Monarchs.

"Don't put towers next to people, it will give them radiation. Put it up on the hill!"
"Don't put a tower up on the hill, it will spoil nature! Put them...?"

I agree! Albany Hill would be a great place for a cell tower. Many of us are hurting from the lack of cell tower coverage. Cellular users search for that perfect spot and time of day to be able to make or receive a call. I even had an ATT tech that had to go elsewhere to call in to his company. Totally ridiculous!! We need a cell tower in Albany. Yes, we want to be enviromentally concious, but at the same time we need to be realistic. Cellular technology is the way of life now, and we must allow Albany to grow!

I live on Albany Hill, and I am totally fine with a cell tower on it.

According to City Planner Ann Hersch, "antennas at this location (Albany Hill) also would set in motion an environmental review due to the sensitive natural environment on the hill". Let's wait until the professionals study the site and the impacts and then weigh the risks and rewards.

It's not as though the cell tower will take up the entirety of Albany Hill. I live on Albany Hill and walk on the trails frequently. If I have to share the hill with all that poison oak, I can certainly share it with a cell tower.

Do you want cell access in Albany, or are we contemporary Luddites, objecting blindly to science?

This is re-posted from the first discussion on the Patch about this proposal:

While I'd be the first person to argue that the city's cell tower citing process needs to be rationalized, this proposal strikes me mostly as a red herring. First all, it doesn't address the most pressing problem--AT&T has already told the city that such a tower would not solve their coverage problem in the southern part of the city (see the staff report). It's too far away.

Secondly, in a city that can't even get its act together to permit Verizon to swap out antennas on an existing pole, we are asked to believe the city will build a multi-tower site, including electrical power connections and foundations, in an environmentally sensitive area in an existing park. And get this through the state CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) process and modify existing city zoning ordinances. Right. Don't hold your breath. And above all else, don't let this red herring derail the efforts to get the AT&T proposal approved at 1035 San Pablo.

The site is not a particularly good one. What advantages it has could be realized by putting sites with screened (invisible antennas) on the taller buildings that face east near the top of Albany Hill. Cell providers typically provide $20-30K annually to building owners to host just one site. That should sweeten the deal.

Thank you, David Randolph; I completely agree. The parvenus now want a cell tower on the remnant Albany Hill? I remember visiting it with my grandmother when it was whole. It was like a beautiful green woods, where goats used to keep everything neat and trim. It was a peaceful retreat where you could see wild animals, birds and native plants. Now, it is so riddled with human habitation with its attending noise, litter and toxic waste that wildlife has nearly disappeared. It was painful to watch Albany Hill, the last vestige of nature's peace and beauty in our city, being gouged, shrunken and reduced to a memory. It was all about money. Sorry, kids, you will just have to use your imagination now. By the way, my cell coverage is excellent.

Here is a link for those who would like to know more about Albany Hill. It contains pictures, too :) http://www.imaja.com/as/environment/albanyca/albanyhill.html

I do not see the relevance in Skip Moore's comment as it would relate to the issue currently being discussed. My memories are quite clear, based on fact and our photographs (yes, we had cameras back then). Change happens, but history does not need to repeat itself by the further disfigurement of our city's landmark.

" It was painful to watch Albany Hill, the last vestige of nature's peace and beauty in our city, being gouged, shrunken and reduced to a memory." I thought the last vestige of peace and beauty in Albany was our treasured waterfront.

As Peggy stated it may be prudent to wait until their is a environmental review before panicking and donning our tin foil hats.

I'd be willing to entertain a reasoned argument about the desireability of protecting the top of Albany Hill from further development, but this isn't it. I think there's room for a carefully installed antenna, monarchs and maybe even a few hiking/biking paths.

My wife and I just bought a place on the hill. I've heard of cancer being linked to cell towers, has that been debunked? I would be concerned for my son, otherwise. My other question, is this going to affect my property value. It doesn't seem like anyone needs another factor for their property value to drop at this point in time. Personally, I use Verizon, and I have never had a problem with cell coverage in the whole Bay Area. I know AT&T has problems. The idea doesn't thrill me, but I'm sure I could get used to it if there aren't any health risks and it is blending in with the trees. I'd like to know how big it would be.

I agree with all your concerns, Eric. If you review the other posts, it appears that only those who use AT&T's service need the cell tower on Albany Hill. There is even some question as to the effectiveness of this eyesore in improving cell coverage for AT&T users. The only one who stands to gain by the installation of this tower will be AT&T. We now know that Verizon and Sprint customers have not experienced any problems with their coverage. It would be good to hear from others regarding their (non-AT&T) service.

Michael, I just located the one that contains "...it doesn't address the most pressing problem--AT&T has already told the city..." This is probably the most intelligent comment I have read so far, since it is based upon verifiable facts and research. I believe your February 11th comment answers the entire Albany Hill tower question very well. No foolish tower on the hill; no tin foil hats for Albany. Thank you.

Thanks for the info!