Lake Forest Park examiner hears bid to replace 42-foot pole with 90-foot stealth 'monopine' at Seattle reservoir

Hearing Examiner John Gault on Feb. 11 heard testimony on a Phoenix Tower International proposal to replace an existing 42-foot cylindrical stealth pole with a new 90-foot stealth "monopine" and expand the lease area at a City of Seattle reservoir property managed by Seattle Public Utilities. Applicant representative Angela Raymond said the upgrade would consolidate carriers, improve wireless capacity and emergency communications for Lake Forest Park residents, and would comply with FAA, FCC and local rules.

The staff recommendation to approve the conditional use permit and wireless communication facility permit was presented by David Greetham, temporary senior planner, who summarized the application history, site context and code analysis and said staff recommended approval with 15 conditions (staff report, Exhibit 1). Greetham noted the application began in 2022, paused while applicants worked through issues with the property owner (City of Seattle), and resumed in 2024. He pointed to photo exhibits and the record that support staff findings on visual compatibility and regulatory compliance.

Raymond said the proposed monopine is designed to blend with surrounding evergreens, consolidate multiple carriers on one structure, and that an RF compliance report in the record shows emissions "well below" the FCC public exposure limits. "This upgrade is essential to improving wireless capacity, reliability, and emergency communications for the residences of Lake Forest Park," Raymond said.

The examiner and staff questioned technical details. Gault asked whether abbreviations on construction drawings (CSBC, CSTC) signified crushed surfacing base/top courses and whether the 12-foot access drive would be paved. Raymond said Seattle Public Utilities had proposed a paved access drive; Mark Hoffman, community development director, testified that Lake Forest Park public-works review requires a solid paved approach where it meets the right-of-way and allows crushed surfacing beyond roughly 20–25 feet, so a full paved driveway to the monopine would not be required by the city though Seattle Public Utilities may request different terms.

On landscaping and fencing, Hoffman recommended limiting fence height (6 feet rather than higher heights listed in a condition) because the site faces a forested critical area and is out of view of the street; staff suggested clarifying recommended condition language to cite the city's wireless development standards (18.68.080 e1–3) so the intent about screening and landscaping is explicit. Greetham also proposed a small number of editorial corrections to the staff report and suggested removing a redundant condition (condition 14) if the examiner agreed; the applicant did not object.

No members of the public attended the hearing; the record includes five written public comments plus a comment from the Duwamish tribes. The record also contains photo simulations, exhibits 8, 9 and 14, that staff and the examiner said will inform visual-impact findings. Greetham confirmed the existing carrier equipment in the current pole is installed inside canisters (a stealth installation) and identified T-Mobile as the carrier currently using the pole.

The hearing concluded without a final decision; Gault said he will consider the testimony and exhibits and issue a written decision within the statutorily allowed period (up to 10 days).