Zoning administrator approves modification of Hoxie Ranch Road wireless permit

The county’s zoning administrator approved a modification to the minor use permit which allows a wireless telecommunication facility in the 29500 block of Hoxie Ranch Road.

The Jan. 25 decision of Zoning Administrator Noah Alvey allows Verizon to replace the existing false chimney with three new false chimneys on the single-family residence. The new false chimneys will house six panel antennas and six remote radio units, the upgrades will also result in the installation of an exhaust fan in the attic and an additional electrical cabinet will be added within the existing equipment enclosure.

In 2003, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors adopted a wireless communications policy which included zoning regulations. A major use permit is now required for a wireless facility in an area with residential or agricultural zoning, but only a minor use permit was needed in June 2000 when the zoning administrator approved a permit for three omnidirectional whip antennas on the roof of the house. The 3.0-acre property owned by Thomas and Dana Montgomery has A70 limited agricultural zoning, along with a semi-rural land use designation.

The minor use permit was modified in January 2009 to allow for the addition of a 30-kilowatt emergency generator for the antennas. The 2003 ordinance included an amortization period for high-visibility facilities in non-preferred zones, and since the roof-mounted antennas were not camouflaged from public view, the facility was defined as high-visibility. In 2011 the zoning administrator modified the minor use permit to replace the antennas with a false chimney to house a sector of three antennas, and that modification also allowed for seven new panel antennas to be mounted to the exterior wall and located behind a radio frequency transparent roof extension on opposite sides of the existing house.

The property has two other wireless facility permits; a September 1998 minor use permit allowed for a facility on a 30-foot flagpole with two base transceiver station units and a September 2010 major use permit allowed the construction of a 30-foot-tall false water tower with antennas internally mounted within the water tank, along with associated equipment within an eight foot tall concrete block wall.

The most recent modification of the minor use permit will not increase the size or height of the equipment enclosure. Cable and power lines will be routed through an existing underground conduit.

The closest public road to the property is Gopher Canyon Road, and the house is not easily visible from that street. In January 2017, the Bonsall Community Sponsor Group voted 6-0 to recommend approval of the permit modification.