Planning Commission approves Verizon facility in Hellers Bend area

The county's Planning Commission voted 7-0 Sept. 11 to approve a Major Use Permit for a Verizon wireless telecommunication facility in the Hellers Bend area.

The permit allows the three-acre property in the 4100 block of South Mission Road to have 12 panel antennas, 12 remote radio units, and one microwave antenna mounted on a 35 foot tall false mono-broadleaf tree along with a 240 square foot equipment building and a 168 square foot enclosure which will house a 10 kilowatt emergency generator.

The property with A70 Limited Agricultural zoning currently includes a wholesale nursery, a home, guest living quarters, accessory buildings, and a parking lot. The false tree will be located approximately 55 feet from the northern property line, and in an effort to help the facility blend in with the surrounding area one coast live oak tree will be planted near the northern property line and one coast live oak tree will be planted along South Mission Road.

The concrete masonry unit which will house the equipment will be 12 feet 9 inches tall and will have a pitched roof. Two global positioning system antennas will be mounted on the roof. The enclosure housing the generator will have a 10 foot high concrete masonry unit wall, a chain-link roof which will allow for air flow, and solid steel access doors. Both the equipment building and the generator will be painted in a light earth-tone color.

The activity will also include a utility trench approximately 250 feet long for electrical, telephone, and cable connections. That trenching will be done within a disturbed area of the nursery and thus will not require environmental monitoring or mitigation. Access to the site will be provided by an existing private driveway

which connects to South Mission Road.

The Verizon facility has been designed for future co-location if findings can be made for an additional telecommunication facility.

In March 2014, the Fallbrook Community Planning Group voted 14-0 to recommend approval of the permit.