Re: Verizon Wireless Community Master plan for Fallbrook dropped by County [Village News, 10/13/16]

Some in our community may have misunderstood Verizon's decision to abandon their proposed “Master Plan for Fallbrook,” as reported in the Oct. 13 issue of the Village News, to imply that those of us who opposed the plan were against future expansion of cell coverage in the Fallbrook area. That view is not correct.

We in Fallbrook are fortunate to benefit from what I believe to be an excellent Community Vision statement as a part of our official community plan. The second sentence of that vision statement reads, “The hope for the future is that Fallbrook can continue to accommodate reasonable demands for growth while also maintaining its unique community identity.” We are known as the “Friendly Village” and in favor of maintaining this community's identity.

The second paragraph includes, “The small town atmosphere and rural, semi-rural natural environment are what residents most cherish and what they most wish to preserve for the future.”

Andrea's previous article dated Sept. 29 explained that the Verizon Master Plan failed to fall into line with our community vision in numerous ways. It went on to advocate working meetings between cell providers and local residents most affected to gain agreement long before a Major Use Permit is submitted to our planning group for approval.

We who opposed the plan continue to oppose the business as usual approach that has proven to produce adversarial relationships in our “Friendly Village.”

We are for reasonable growth in cellular coverage while maintaining our unique identity.

Jim Bowles