Sebastopol City Council delays decision on controversial KOWS radio tower

The Sebastopol City Council has delayed taking action on hotly contested plans for a community radio antenna slated for installation on municipal property in a rural county area south of town.

After four hours of discussion and public comments at Tuesday night’s regular meeting, the council put the subject on hold until May 31, when it has scheduled a special meeting to consider the antenna permit - already approved by the city Planning Commission.

Neighbors appealed planning commissioners’ 4-3 vote authorizing KOWS-FM nonprofit community radio to put the 70-foot latticed structure and antenna on the municipal land. The 3.39-acre lot on Pleasant Hill Road already is home to two 3-million-gallon water storage tanks and ancillary structures and equipment.

KOWS has since proposed a 60-foot latticed tower tapering to just 12 inches at the top, with a 5-foot, 2-inch-wide pole above that.

Representatives for the volunteer-run station say the new antenna and proposed location offer an opportunity to reach a broader audience by boosting the signal and broadcasting beyond a north-south topographical ridge that runs west of town. The current antenna, stationed in a Douglas fir tree at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, needs to be moved east of the ridgeline, KOWS spokesman Arnold Levine said.

In addition to diverse music and topical programming, the 8-year-old station is an FCC-designated Emergency Alert Station for west Sonoma County.

But neighbors are fighting the plan, citing a range of concerns, chiefly the visual impact of a structure rising above the trees at a location surrounded by vineyards, orchards and rural residences. They say the plan warrants substantial environmental review.

Planning commissioners heard similar arguments in February. Several also noted that wherever the antenna was installed, there would likely be complaints from neighbors. They said the challenge was to balance the value of a public access radio and emergency broadcasting capability against the concerns of nearby residents.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.