Verizon hopes to install two new telecom facilities resembling church steeples in Seaside.

Verizon Wireless is proposing to install cell towers at two Seaside churches and disguise them as steeples.

Opponents have won the first battle – but not because of the potential health impacts that concern some of the churches’ neighbors.

The proposed tower at Faith Lutheran, 1460 Hilby Ave., would stand almost 40 feet tall. Another tower at Faith Baptist, 1949 Waring St., would rise 55 feet.

Seaside resident Cecelia Lucido, who lives near Faith Lutheran, worries the cell towers could emit dangerous levels of microwave radiation.

“A lot of people really think it’s harmful,” she says. “There’s no proof of that, so what we really want to bring up is [the impact on] property value.” The generators powering the cell towers would be loud and unsightly, she adds, and commercial uses are not compatible with the residential neighborhoods.

Those last two arguments are what stuck July 22, when the city Planning Commission unanimously directed staff to prepare findings and evidence to deny both proposals.

Potential health effects can’t legally factor into that decision, according to Senior City Planner Rick Medina, because the towers’ radio-frequency emissions would reportedly comply with Federal Communications Commission guidelines.

On the evening of Aug. 12 (past the Weekly’s deadline), the Planning Commission was scheduled to consider a resolution formally denying the two proposals.

But Verizon officials want more time. In an Aug. 7 letter to Medina, Verizon consultant Tricia Knight asked to push the agenda item back to Sept. 9, giving Verizon officials time to prepare for and attend the meeting.

If the commission denies the proposals Aug. 12, Knight wrote, Verizon will appeal to the Seaside City Council.

Verizon rep Ken Muché says the goal is to keep phone connections smooth. “We are building cell sites to increase capacity on our networks,” he says, “really future-proofing for our customers.”