Could the spotty cell phone service and dropped calls in Rancho Mirage soon become a thing of the past? The city is hoping to make some headway by speeding up the approval of some new cell towers, despite concerns from some residents that towers being built near their homes would reduce property values and obstruct mountain views.
The city council recently revised parts of its plan aiming to bring new cell towers to Rancho Mirage after several residents pushed back against the proposal, particularly over its removal of public review and the potential for new towers to be built next to homes.
The approved proposal still removes the public review process for new cell towers up to 81 feet tall on more than 20 designated sites, but the city council agreed to remove a few of those sites that were controversial, particularly one west of the Tamarisk Country Club.
Projects on the preapproved sites would no longer go through the city council or planning commission. They would instead be reviewed only by city staff, though any project could still be referred to the planning commission if it’s found to have “unique impacts.”
The proposal was criticized by several residents when it was introduced by the city’s planning commission, and some continued to oppose it at the council’s July 16 meeting, saying the decisions on new cell towers should remain in the public eye.
Members of the council said they understand the concerns but felt that the step was necessary to see progress on an issue that’s plagued Rancho Mirage for over 20 years.
Some cell towers never built due to review process
The proposal is part of the city’s recent efforts to improve long-standing reception issues in the area, with Rancho Mirage’s low population density, lack of tall buildings and the surrounding mountains contributing to the patchy service.
A master plan commissioned by the council in 2024 was produced through field tests across Rancho Mirage to map its coverage gaps and to identify its existing infrastructure. The plan found AT&T has better coverage than Verizon and T-Mobile in the city, though all three operators had areas of insufficient coverage. The study authors offered several recommendations, including expediting the approval process.
The cell reception study identified 23 total cell sites across Rancho Mirage, including 18 that were operational and three under construction. While each carrier should have at least a dozen traditional cell sites to ensure adequate coverage, each currently only has four to six sites, according to city staff.
The proposed streamlining of new tower approvals would cut the review time for applications by several months. The sites span both private and city-owned land in Rancho Mirage, including at city hall, the library and Palm Valley School, as well as land near Dinah Shore Drive and Bob Hope Drive.
City planners would still carefully consider each cell tower proposal to ensure that tall towers aren’t built along property lines adjacent to residential communities, City Manager Isaiah Hagerman emphasized at the meeting. He noted city staff will continue to reach out to homeowners’ associations if a project is proposed nearby.
“There still is a thoughtful analysis (under this proposal),” Hagerman said.
Hagerman noted the current framework often leads to cell phone towers being entitled but never built, because cell carriers skip over the projects due to the lengthier timeline and funding necessary for the review process.
“The point of this was not to be deceptive, but to allow for the flexibility to again help us streamline this process to be more attractive for investment,” Hagerman said.
‘An unacceptable surrender of power’
While some residents said they understand the city’s desire to improve local cell coverage, they want transparency in decision-making.
“Elected officials are duty bound to hear constituent concerns as a part of crucial decision-making on issues affecting their property values,” Deborah Dooley wrote to the council.
During its meeting, the council heard from several people, including Todd Spitzer, the district attorney of Orange County. Spitzer was not speaking in his capacity as an elected official, but rather as a part-time resident of the Monterey Country Club in Palm Desert.
Spitzer criticized the city’s prior approval of a cell tower near the country club on Monterey Drive, saying the completed tower didn’t align with its renderings and was “obscene and offensive to the eye.”
“Because of my elected status, I was able to really have some influence on getting that tower fixed,” Spitzer said without elaborating. “These poor people don’t have the same influence we do as elected officials. Please do not abdicate your elected responsibility to allow us to have redress if we object to these projects.”
Another resident, Robert Watkins, said the council should remove the sites near Tamarisk if it chose to move forward with the proposal.
“However, I maintain that the entire ordinance is faulty from the start and an unacceptable surrender of power from this council and ultimately the residents of this city,” Watkins said.
Council says something must be done
Members of the council said they appreciated the residents’ concerns, but noted they often hear from other residents urging them to fix the local cellular coverage.
“I’m sorry if I can’t do what all of you want us to do, but we have to determine what’s best for the entire city,” Councilmember Steve Downs said.
Mayor Pro Tem Michael O’Keefe, who served on a subcommittee examining the issue, noted the need for good cell coverage has become more crucial over time, with landline phones becoming obsolete.
“Cell phones are now essential to our personal lives, our business lives, our professional lives, and to our personal and public safety,” O’Keefe said.
“If we add yet another full cycle of approvals to the process on things that are already pre-approved, we lose another nine months to a year, and our residents will continue to live with inadequate, spotty coverage,” he added.
Mayor Lynn Mallotto, who lives in the Del Webb neighborhood on the city’s north end, said she has to step outside onto her patio to get a good signal, adding the question of cell phone coverage comes up “every single time” in meetings with residents.
“It’s not a matter of convenience at this point in time,” Mallotto said. “It’s a matter of necessity. … We have several residents over in Del Webb that have had challenges, that couldn’t get a 911 call through.”
Councilmembers Ted Weill and Eve Fromberg Edelstein were recused from the discussion due to some sites’ proximity to their homes. O’Keefe’s home was also within 1,000 feet of a designated site, so the city attorney, citing state rules, had the three of them draw straws to determine who could stick around for the council to reach a quorum.
With O’Keefe staying on, the council ultimately approved the proposal — excluding the sites west of Tamarisk, as well as a city-owned affordable housing property, Whispering Waters — by a 3-0 vote.
Tom Coulter covers local government and politics for The Desert Sun. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Will a contested cell tower plan fix Rancho Mirage’s spotty coverage?
Reporting by Tom Coulter, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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By Tom Coulter, Palm Springs Desert Sun | USA TODAY Network
