The Wayzata Planning Commission voted Monday to recommend denial of Xcel Energy's request for a conditional use permit to install a 140-foot monopole communication tower at 701 Central Avenue.

The commission's unanimous decision followed a public hearing where residents from the nearby Harmony Circle neighborhood expressed concerns about aesthetics, property values, and the tower's location in a residential area. The proposed monopole would replace an existing 100-foot shield pole at the substation, which sits near Gleon Lake Elementary School and borders Plymouth.

Xcel Energy representatives George Wiki and Josh Lang explained the tower would support a private communications network to transmit smart meter data more securely by moving it off public cellular networks. Wiki said the 140-foot height was necessary to provide adequate coverage across the metro area, showing maps that demonstrated significantly reduced coverage at 100 feet versus 135 feet for the antennas.

Residents questioned why the tower couldn't be located at other Xcel substations, particularly the larger Plymouth facility along Highway 494 in a commercial area. Several speakers cited concerns about property value impacts, with one resident presenting a Georgia study showing homes within 1,500 feet of communication towers declining 7.6 percent in value. Others questioned whether Xcel had adequately justified why this residential location was necessary when other metro towers are in non-residential areas.

The commission's recommendation will be finalized at their April 21 meeting before forwarding to the City Council for final decision. Separately, the commission approved a planned unit development recommendation for 200 Lake Street, with important conditions requiring massing breaks to conform with design standards.