Accord Reached on Placement of 75-Foot Antenna

A group of La Canada Flintridge residents have reached a preliminary agreement with a cellular telephone company regarding the placement of a controversial 75-foot antenna, city officials said.

Terms call for Los Angeles Cellular Co. to maintain a small, temporary transmitter at the YMCA on Foothill Boulevard until the state Public Utilities Commission selects a permanent site. The PUC, which regulates cellular telephone antennas, expects to make a decision in June after holding a public hearing to gather community comments.

Los Angeles Cellular received approval from the La Canada Flintridge City Council in February to locate its permanent antenna at the YMCA and began construction there next to a temporary facility it erected in February. But the firm halted work after several residents filed lawsuits, saying that the antenna was incompatible with their residential neighborhood.

Earlier this month, city officials drew up a new list of a dozen potential sites and submitted it to the PUC. City Manager Don Otterman said Los Angeles Cellular favors a site atop a medical building at 1370 Foothill Blvd.