Cell phone users in south Evanston may soon get better reception.

The city’s Site Plan and Appearance Review Committee granted preliminary approval April 27 for T-Mobile to install 12 antennas on top of an apartment building at 1311 Chicago Ave.

It was part of recent efforts among cellular service providers to improve reception in the city. A year ago, the committee approved a 110-foot Sprint PCS tower at 1235 Hartrey Ave., and in September it gave permission to U.S. Cellular to install antennas on the top of 515 Main St.

“It’s happening all over,” said Carolyn Brzezinski, the committee’s chairwoman. “There’s a lot of competition for cell phone businesses.”

The Sprint PCS tower was proposed at 150 feet tall, but had to be reduced by 40 feet to be approved by the committee.

“We try to encourage people to use existing rooftops as opposed to towers whenever possible,” Brzezinski said.

To prevent being seen from the ground, the 12 antennas will be screened, said Tracy Norfleet, Evanston’s general planner. T-Mobile will still need the building owner’s permission to bury power lines since the antennas might add an unsightly wire to the roof of the building.

“We try to minimize the impact of having antennas visible as much as possible,” Brzezinski said.

The antennas are meant to address a coverage gap west of the building, said Evanston zoning officer Frank Aguado.

T-Mobile user and Medill sophomore Andrew Gruen said there are some coverage gaps in Evanston and he welcomes the company’s efforts to improve service.

“The biggest problem with reception is along the lakeshore because there aren’t any towers near the lake,” Gruen said. “As you go closer to Chicago, service improves.”

There were over 182 million cell phone subscribers in December 2004, a nearly 15 percent increase over the previous year, according to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association.

— Greg Hafkin