Cell Service Disruption Possible As Verizon Tower Plans Stall

Reston VA

09 February, 2022

3:53 PM

Description

RESTON, VA — Cell phone service for Verizon and Sprint customers in Reston could be significantly disrupted, after the Fairfax County Architectural Review Board deferred a proposal to install a much-needed cell tower. Verizon Wireless currently has a cell tower on the top of The Fellowship House in Reston. The building is set to be demolished as part of the Fellowship Square development project. Fellowship House residents are expected to move into the newly constructed Lake Anne House later this spring and summer. The next phase of the project will be the demolition of The Fellowship House to make way for new construction. To ensure there would be no disruption to service, Verizon planned to install six concealed antennas as well as accessory equipment and cabinets on the roof of the Heron House, which is in the Lake Anne Historic Overlay District. The new tower would also serve Sprint customers as well. Without the the new tower, wireless coverage would be disrupted within a 1.9-square-mile area in the vicinity of Lake Anne, according to Rick Novak of Site Link Wireless, who was representing Verizon at the Architectural Review Board's Dec. 9 meeting. During the public comment portion of the meeting, Heron House resident Nigel Phillips objected to the application, saying that a previous Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association board had given its approval to the antenna and the current board had not. Phillips said the antennae would significantly impair the profile of the Heron House and asked that the proposal be tabled. Martha Greene, who said she owned four Heron House units, told the Architectural Review Board that the roof of the building is fragile and the the proposal required more study. Concerns about the physical state of the Heron House are not unfounded. In its cursory assessment of Lake Anne Plaza in 2021, architectural firm Samaha Associates reported the building needed an estimated $19,850,733 in physical improvements. One of the things that prompted Samaha's review was concern that the deteriorating concrete planters on the building's balconies were a serious hazard for residents. When asked if there was a structural plan for the building, Novak said that a structural analysis had been provided to the vice president of the Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association (LARCA) board, which represents commercial and residential property owners. Greene added that the building was a historically designated property and the proposed physical changes were not insignificant. Architectural Review Board member John A. Burns said that based on the renderings and photos presented as part of the proposal, the antenna and supporting facilities would change the roof line of the building. When asked if Verizon had investigated any alternative sites for the cell tower or whether light towers could be used instead, Novak told the board 40-foot towers were not an option and the Heron House was the best choice in the service area based on its height. At Novak's request, the board deferred the application. Verizon would get back to the Architectural Review Board at a later date with a better design and following more input from the LARCA board. LARCA said in a letter dated Feb. 3 that it did not support the proposal to install the antenna on the 15-story Heron House. "LARCA understands that the Fairfax County ARB has not approved the previously submitted application for such antenna installation," the letter said.