The Cell Tower Saga Gets Worse

by Evie Maxwell, features editor

Sadly, the Verizon/Horizon cell tower that looms over residents of Port Ludlow’s LMC territory has not gone the way of the Velociraptor. Opposition to this tower is strong, and determined, as demonstrated at a town hall held on February 24. At that meeting, a large crowd gathered to hear Jefferson County planners go step by step through the process by which the tower, which is slated for construction just off of Fleet Drive, will, or will not, get approved.

It’s a long bureaucratic maze, and we all owe thanks to the planners who volunteered their time at the meeting, to the Beach Club which hosted it, and, most of all to the Port Ludlow Village Council which arranged for the meeting.

So, what did we learn?

First, we’ve said it before, but cannot emphasize it enough: It is true that many local areas need better cell service. This is most apparent in the vicinity of Mats Mats, for which the proposed tower is named, and there are also some poorly served areas within Port Ludlow.

Thus, the need for a cell tower is a given. But does it need to be situated on the border line of a thriving residential community within a few hundred feet of family homes? That’s our primary concern along with issues revolving around: the tower’s likely impact on the dollar value of nearby private homes, its impact on our environment and roads, its impact to the character of our peaceful community; and the company’s apparent refusal to consider alternative locations. The fact is that there are alternative, far less harmful, locations for the tower. We’ll get to that, but for now, let’s start with the proposed cell tower’s likely impact on Port Ludlow.

The SEPA Requirement

In the State of Washington, applicants for new construction such as cell towers are required to complete a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) questionnaire on the impacts of the proposed project on both environmental and community concerns. Based on national standards, this requirement is meant to ensure that the proposed project will not cause undue stress on the area where it is constructed.

We reviewed the completed questionnaire submitted by the Verizon/Horizon cell tower applicants, and what did we find?

A litany of answers all along the lines of: ‘Nothin’ to see here, folks.”

That is not a joke. For example, in reply to a question of the project’s impact on waterways, Verizon/Horizon answered with only this: “Mats Mats Bay is nearby but over 200’ from site; no direct impact.”

What was NOT said is that Port Ludlow Bay is much closer to the site; the concrete base proposed for the site will increase effluent runoff exponentially; and all of that will flow through Port Ludlow properties and empty into the Port Ludlow Bay.

In another head-scratcher, the Verizon/Horizon consortium replied to a question about whether views in the area would be altered or obstructed, with this: “Minimal; screened by vegetation. No view alteration or obstruction is anticipated.” The group provided a simulation of how their 150’ tower would look in the grove of trees now on the property. We have reproduced it here and, as you can see, it dwarfs the existing the tree line.

While to Verizon, whose enterprise value in the $379 billion to $385 billion range, this might be ‘minimal’, to us it looks a bit more like a middle-finger salute to a quiet, scenic residential community.

We could go on but you get the idea. So, let’s address one of the most serious, and painful, questions of this process: The impact on the home values of folks living within sight of the tower.

A Hit to Home Values

This was covered in our previous editorial, but it bears repeating: According to multiple, well reviewed sources, construction of the cell tower, in its proposed location, would rob nearby homeowners of thousands upon thousands in home values. We looked at research from the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, the Environmental Health Trust and from the Environmental Health Services. The most conservative estimate among these (from the Journal of Real Estate) predicted home value losses in the 2.46% to 9.78% range. On the low end, that would translate to a loss of $14,451in value for a median priced home ($587,450 per an October 2025 estimate from Realtor.com). On the high end the loss would come in at whopping $57,452

The ‘Who Me?’ Effect

We realize that some people reading this article will feel inclined to dismiss it. After all, if your home is not in sight of the proposed tower, why care? Okay. But consider this: The multi-billion dollar company looking to erect a 150’ cell tower on the edge of a residential community is not doing so as a public service.

They’re doing it for the money.

As it stands, the proposed cell tower will have the ability to host an additional three cell service carriers on its tower. According to recent data from Dgtl Infra (a company specializing in information about the digital infrastructure) each of those additional carriers could pay up to $3,500 per month for the service. Multiply that by three carriers over 12 months and you get $126,000 per year in rental fees, to say nothing of a significant increase in revenue due to improved service.

The Bottom Line

At the end of all this we must point out that Jefferson County codes (UDC Ch. 18.42), and best practices for wireless facilities, require the applicant to demonstrate that no alternative location with less visual impact is available. That has not yet happened. There are many locations to consider including the two clear cuts above Oak Bay Rd that are close to Mats Mats, higher than the proposed site, not located in a neighborhood, and would not subject homeowners and local roads to the additional vehicle traffic required by multiple cell tower carriers.

Sadly, we must also report that LMC board of directors, the group entrusted to protect the interests of residents, elected to maintain a No Comment on the cell phone issue. The decision was not agreed upon by all board members and, thus far, the LMC has declined to provide any information on how the decision was reached or why.

In the end, the lesson here is that a mega-rich company could dramatically impact Port Ludlow residents and our surrounding community in negative ways forever.

The only way to stop it is to band together for a loud, ‘NO!’

If we fail in that, your home could be next.

(To express your opinion on the proposed cell tower, please write to the Jefferson County planning office at:dcd@co.jefferson.wa.us. The office recommends that you include Horizon, Verizon, Mats Mats, Port Ludlow cell tower & preferably ZON 2024-11 in the subject line. For additional information on the tower plus sample letters, please email plcelltoweropposition@gmail.com. Or go to Port Ludlow Life’s website https://portludlow.life/cell-tower-issue.) Be aware that comments to the County must be sent by April 6th.