A proposed fake water tower telecommunications facility in western Goleta faced criticism from the city Design Review Board and neighboring residents on Tuesday. 

AT&T proposes building a 50-foot-tall water tower – 15 feet above the city’s height limit — to conceal a new telecommunications facility at 290 Ellwood Canyon Road that aims to close a service gap, according to the city staff report.

The Goleta Design Review Board voted unanimously to recommend that the zoning administrator deny the project because of its incompatibility with the neighborhood and its size and scale. 

“It looks like a hot tub on stilts,” board member Martha Degasis said. 

“It does a disservice to the neighborhood and devalues the property values of the adjacent residences.”

John McDonald, who presented the project on behalf of AT&T, said it can’t be relocated to another area because of the elevation.

Additionally, under state and federal regulations, there is a maximum timeframe for city review with the approval of wireless antennas. For the one proposed in Goleta, the timeframe is 150 days, according to city staff.

If no decision is reached in that time period, Lisa Prasse, city planning manager, said she believes it could get automatically approved. 

The proposed water tower cell tower has about 60 days left in that time frame, she added.

Residents also spoke on Tuesday, raising concerns about the tower’s size and it blocking scenic views from their properties. 

The tower’s property site also houses three historic resources, including the 1912 barn and house and the Ellwood Queen eucalyptus tree.

Kris Kittle, who said her grandfather once owned the land where the tower is proposed, said it would be right behind her house’s backyard, forcing her family to listen to any noise emitted from it. 

However, McDonald said the project passes the noise requirements after a noise study was conducted. 

Other residents submitted letters to city staff opposing the project and included photos to show how close the current story poles of the tower are in relation to their homes. 

Dave Radan, who said he is the current property owner, asked about reducing the tower’s size but said he was in favor of the proposed cell tower. 

“We think it will be a good addition to the neighborhood,” he said. 

However, the Design Review Board members were firm in their criticisms. 

“I think it’s not bad as a design, but I think it is in the wrong place,” board member James van Order said. “It’s too big.”

Other board members took issue with the design. 

“It’s really, quite frankly, kind of ugly,” board member Cecilia Brown said. “I support a cell site somewhere in this area, but I don’t support this.”

Similarly, board member Dennis Whelan said the water tower design was a “disservice” to other similar designs that are prevalent in parts of Southern California.