RESIDENTS IRATE OVER STEEPLE ANTENNA.

Byline: Dominic Berbeo Staff Writer

WOODLAND HILLS - A city Planning Department approval of a ``stealth'' cellular phone tower on a residential Woodland Hills street has sparked outrage from nearby residents who vowed Friday to fight it.

Zoning officials this week approved a variance allowing PacBell Wireless to install either a 50-foot-tall antenna disguised as a palm tree or a 45-foot-high antenna encased in a church steeple atop First Baptist Church, 5727 Fallbrook Ave.

To improve cellular sound quality, phone companies over the past decade have installed hundreds of so-called stealth antennas, many times camouflaging them as palm trees or church steeples to better fit the surroundings.

``Everyone in this neighborhood is opposed to this eyesore except the church, and that's only because they're interested in the monthly fee they'll get,'' said Niles Willits, who lives across the street.

Willits helped gather the signatures of the 126 residents who live within a 500-foot radius of the church and who are opposed to the antenna.

Although PacBell is offering $1,000 a month to position its antenna on the property, church officials say they are not in it for the money.

``We don't want to disturb the local community at all,'' said Charles Hitchcock, a church aide. ``We're writing a letter to local residents. We're not decided on whether to put up the antenna. If neighbors don't want it, we'll just let things pass.''

Another concern of the neighbors, evident in letters of protest, is the unknown health effects of the microwaves emitted from cellular towers.

``Even if you do believe the government studies reflecting that there are no adverse effects to the microwave activity that the tower will emit, would you want to take a chance?'' asks resident George Heyten in an opposition letter.

Medical opinion has been mixed on the health effects of cellular phones. Nonetheless, an estimated 95 million Americans are using them - which requires more towers to handle the volume.

Robert Janovici, the chief zoning administrator for the city of Los Angeles, said there has been an increase of applications citywide for cellular antenna towers in the past few months, following a three-year lull.

``A few years ago, we were getting up to 200 applications for new facilities per year,'' he said, adding that the recent increase is probably due to added customers demanding better service.

In a letter from the city dated July 6, the assistant zoning administrator who handled the case, Albert Landini, said the city is virtually powerless to oppose the growing number of antennas.

He said the only way to slow down the number of antennas would be for fewer people to use cell phones, an unlikely trend.

``Absent such a movement, the reality is that the applicant is bound by state and federal law to provide a reasonable network of such installations to meet public demand,'' the letter says. ``The role of the city in this instance is not so much one of approval or denial, but to ensure compatibility of design between the proposed structure and the surrounding land use.''

The homeowners will present their petitions in an appeal to the city's zoning control board to kill the steeple antenna. If their appeal is rejected, they could appeal the decisions to the City Council.

Steve Getzug, a PacBell Wireless spokesman, said camouflaged antennas are very common in Southern California. They are a means of meeting an increased demand while being mindful of the surroundings, he said.

``We want to be good neighbors, but also provide the best service possible to our customers,'' he said.

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Map: First Baptist Church of Woodland Hills