Sandoval County denies Verizon cell tower after Placitas outcry
More than 200 objections and a packed Bernalillo hearing room pushed Sandoval County to reject Verizon's 75-foot Placitas tower, leaving coverage gaps unresolved.
Placitas residents stopped Verizon from adding a 75-foot cell tower on a westside ridgeline lot, arguing that better service was not worth the loss in views, neighborhood character and land-use protections. Sandoval County’s Planning and Zoning Commission denied the request on May 19 after a hearing at the Sandoval County Administration Building in Bernalillo that drew a packed room and more than 200 letters in opposition.
The proposal, case CU-26-001, covered a 4.32-acre parcel at 221 NM-165 in the Placitas Homesteads Subdivision, on Tract 5A-1A-W. County records identified Sun State Tower, Pinnacle Consulting, Verizon Wireless and property owner Racquel Huslig as the applicants. The tower itself would have been a 75-foot concealment pole, with associated equipment enclosed by an 8-foot fence.
Verizon’s representative, Scott Quinn of Pinnacle Consulting, told commissioners the tower was needed because growth in Placitas had strained local service and public safety. He said emergency service had been an ongoing issue and pointed to the fact that most emergency calls are made on cellphones. Quinn also said the company had shifted the tower location after a balloon test to better fit the area.
Residents and elected officials countered that the proposal did not fit Placitas. Interim Planning and Zoning director Doraida Arias noted that communication towers are allowed in Sandoval County through a conditional-use permit, but opponents said this particular project cut against the Placitas Area Plan, adopted in 2009 after a community-based planning process. State Rep. Matthew McQueen submitted written opposition on April 17, citing concerns about inconsistency with the plan, visual impacts and possible economic harm to homeowners. One letter also appealed directly to County Commissioner Katherine Bruch, who lives in Placitas.
Another resident, Amy Atkinson, said the site sat in the CD-WP water-protection overlay and raised concerns about the lack of a hydrological impact assessment in an area dependent on private wells and fractured-rock groundwater. Her letter said the tower would sit 46 feet 9 inches from the northwest property line, or 57% of the required 82.5-foot setback, and described the design as 55 feet of bare steel below a 20-foot shroud.
Outside the hearing room, the opposition was visible as well as written. About 50 people arrived an hour before the meeting began, every viewing area in the building filled up, and residents wore ribbons in solidarity. Some argued that Verizon overstated the service problem, saying nearby T-Mobile signals were stronger through smaller antennas. The denial left Verizon without approval for the Placitas site and signaled that future attempts to add major infrastructure in rural growth areas will face close scrutiny over viewsheds, water, property values and the Placitas Area Plan.
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