Residents in Kensington are frustrated by transformation of two power poles into cellphone towers over the weekend, they told NBC 7 on Tuesday.
Amid the palm tree-lined Hillsdale Road, one of the poles stands roughly 50 feet tall and just 20 steps from the front door of Gino Gonzalez and his wife.
“It’s hideous,” he said. “Look at it. I mean with the modern tech we have, that's the best they could do?”
On Saturday, two poles in front of Kensington homes were outfitted with cellphone equipment.
Kensington locals have taken to their online forum to blast the wireless company and city of San Diego for the damage done, which includes cracked bricks and broken sprinkler heads in Gonzalez's yard, he said.
While Gonzalez said he got a notice about the cellphone tower in August, others say fliers with no installation date appeared on their doors Sunday – the day after the work was done.
Patt Shinsky snapped pictures as a pole already in the ground was transformed into the second tower across the street from her home.
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According to a city of San Diego spokesperson, becasue the antennas were installed on existing poles, no public input or community approval was needed for the project's permit.
"The city does require the contractor who is doing the installation to provide the adjacent property owner with 24-hour advance notice prior to the work being done in the public right-of-way in front of their home, but only if there is trenching. If an antenna is being attached to an existing pole in the public right-of-way and no trenching is being done, then no notice to the adjacent property owner is required," the city's statement said.
Neighbors say not only is the pole intrusive, but so is the big brown box warning construction crews that being six feet or closer to the radio frequency equipment may exceed government exposure rates.
Gonzalez said he’s worried about his daughter.
“I'd like to know the hard research on what the dangers are because we have a 5-year-old daughter. We have no idea what’s going to happen,” he told NBC 7.
NBC 7 reached out to Crown Castle, which installed the equipment. Neither has returned our request for comment at this time.
