First reported 6/11/2010 3:22 p.m.
Concordia University is looking to boost cell phone service in Oak Park and River Forest with a pair of stealth modifications to its campus parking garage. If the project is OKd, the school could improve life for its students and pocket a bit of cash on the side.
The university brought a proposal to River Forest’s Development Review Board Thursday night that would install new antennae from cell phone providers AT&T and T-Mobile, as well as from cell-based Internet provider Clear.
Dennis Witte, Concordia’s vice president for administration, said the university primarily wants to improve wireless service on its campus, but the campus’s neighbors will benefit as well.
“Our No. 1 student complaint at Concordia related to technology is poor cellular coverage: ‘My phone doesn’t work,'” Witte told the Development Review Board. “Certainly we want it on our own campus for our students, our faculty and staff, but it also benefits our neighbors in the northeast corner of the village.”
Under the proposal, Concordia would build two 10-foot extensions atop the elevator shafts of the campus’s parking garage along Bonnie Brae between Thomas and Division.
Those structures, which would be made of a lightweight but heavy-duty material allowing radio signals to permeate, would shield the surrounding areas’ view of the total of 22 antennae.
The three companies have signed 30-year leases with Concordia, but Witte would not reveal how much money the university was receiving from the leases. Witte said simply that the project was more about the quality of life than about the money.
After some discussion, the Development Review Board gave preliminary approval to build the extensions, which require a variance to extend the towers’ heights. They’ll vote to officially approve the project on July 1 after an analysis from the village attorney. The proposal will then go to the village board for a vote.
