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80-foot Verizon cellular tower will be added to industrial park
Permit ready for downtown McDonalds
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Local Verizon Wireless network phone users will be experiencing better reception in upcoming months as the City of Turlock Planning Commission has granted the telecommunications company a conditional use permit to install an 80-foot tower in the Turlock Industrial Regional Park.

While the 80-foot structure is large it is not the first one to pierce the Turlock skyline as approximately 10 to 15 other towers already exist in the area. After agreeing to comply with the City’s aesthetic requirements that include a slim-line monopole structure with exterior antennas surrounding the top 10 feet of the pole for increased reception, the cellular data tower will be constructed on a 1.37 acre industrial zoned property at 2320 Industrial Rowe located one half mile from the nearest residence.

“This will absolutely mean better coverage for locals. We require Verizon to go through a justification study to show how this will fill a void and submit coverage maps to identify the need at the beginning of the process,” explained City Planner Rose Stillo.

The City also does not anticipate that the tower will be visible from any residential properties.

A similar cellular tower is located at the intersection of Tuolumne Road and Colorado Avenue where the City required the network to create a pole that would blend in with the nearby trees.

“Most people do not even know it is there,” explained Stillo.

According to Verizon Representative Brendan Leonard, the network plans to begin construction in the next six to nine months. The Verizon tower will not employ any locals but will be tended to twice a month by Verizon employees.

Across town the City is set to issue a permit to McDonald’s to begin construction on the hamburger franchise that will sit on a parcel of land that borders Center Street, Golden State Boulevard, East Avenue, and Marshall Street but the applicant has yet to sign the agreement. Issued on June 19, McDonald’s has six months to act before the permit expires.

Once the new McDonald’s is under construction the surrounding area will also see some sprucing up as the fast food chain agreed to have their developer perform improvements to the area for reimbursement fees not to exceed $413,156. As spelled out in the City’s Capital Facilities program, the construction of East Main Public Improvements will include dedication of right of way; construction of curb, gutter, sidewalk and roadway widening; undergrounding of Turlock Irrigation District overhead power lines; and the relocation of existing traffic signal poles and signal cabinet at the intersection of East Avenue and South Golden State Boulevard.