Wildwood Park tower plan topples
Clearwire withdraws proposal
by Andrew Miller
Thisweek Newspapers
The battle is over in Wildwood Park.
Neighbors who opposed construction of a 125-foot wireless Internet tower in the Apple Valley park learned last week that the company had withdrawn its application.
“We were delighted and humbled and blown away by the surprise,” said Wildwood Park Alliance leader John Hessburg. “This was an unexpected happy ending.”
More than 500 neighbors signed a petition opposing the proposal by Clearwire Wireless, which is seeking to launch a wireless Internet service in the Twin Cities.
The Wildwood Park Alliance opposed the tower on grounds it would be an eyesore, hurt property values and possibly have harmful health effects.
Alliance members packed the council chambers during Planning Commission meetings in recent months to voice opposition to the Wildwood Park plan.
“We weren’t going to stand for the desecration of the most beautiful park in Apple Valley,” Hessburg said.
Though the Wildwood Park tower is off the table, Clearwire still plans to move ahead with its wireless network in Apple Valley.
Initially, the telecommunications company had 11 sites planned in Apple Valley as part of its network. Nine of those sites have already received city approval, including construction of towers in Hayes Park and in the parking lot of Christ Church.
Only one site (other than Wildwood Park) has yet to receive city approval – Galaxie Park, where construction of a tower using a hockey-rink light pole is proposed.
The Planning Commission in June recommended that the City Council deny Clearwire’s permit applications for both Wildwood and Galaxie parks.
In voting against the Wildwood Park plan, the commission cited compatibility issues with the surrounding area, noting that at 125 feet the tower would be almost twice the height of the park’s tree canopy.
The commission voted against the Galaxie Park plan because the application did not meet ordinance requirements regarding the tower’s “fall zone.” The commission will hold a public hearing July 14 on whether to change the ordinance.
City officials have indicated that Clearwire will now begin looking for another site to provide wireless Internet coverage to parts of the city that would have been served by the Wildwood Park tower.
But for members of the Wildwood Park Alliance, the battle has been won.
Hessburg said he wanted to thank the four Planning Commission members who voted against the permit application and the City Council members who listened to the neighbors’ pleas.
“This is proof that democracy works in Apple Valley,” Hessburg said.
Tad Johnson contributed to this report. Andrew Miller is at andrew.miller@ecm-inc.com.





