Discussion of a proposed 5G cell tower will continue later this month, after the Antrim Planning Board has requested a consultant to review the application for correctness.
Vertex Tower Assets and New Cingular Wireless PCS – a corporation operating under AT&T Mobility – are proposing to build a 175-foot cell tower on Loverens Mill Road, on a vacant 20-acre lot abutting the Windsor town line.
AT&T would use the tower, but other wireless companies would also be able to co-locate their signals on it.
The applicant originally requested five wavers from the Planning Board, including height – cell towers are allowed in the district , distance from property line, the length of the antenna array, using a lattice tower instead of a monopole, and exemption from a formal storm water drainage plan.
During Thursday’s meeting, Francis Parisi, a lawyer representing the applicant, told the board the applicant had originally mis-read the ordinance related to how far a tower could be from property lines or buildings, and now believes it is in compliance with the ordinance on that point.
Most of Thursday’s meeting was spent discussing the height of the tower, and whether it would be possible to build the tower at a shorter height.
Parisi showed the board several maps of the impact on the amount of area covered at the proposed 175 feet, down to 80 feet. Parisi said the builder might be willing to compromise on the height by building a tower at 150 feet, but any shorter than that, and it would not be feasible, based on the height of the surrounding trees and the amount of coverage area it would provide.
However, Parisi argued, because the tower is so far from its nearest viewable spots, the difference in 25 feet is negligible, and he told the board that the gaps created by that decrease in height would likely never be filled, as it wouldn’t be considered economical to build another tower in the same area for only a small amount of additional service.
“Could we live with a monopole, could we live with 150 feet, yes,” Parisi said. “I just think it would be short-sighted, because it will leave gaps, gaps that may never be filled.”
The board voted to contact a consultant to review the application to verify the technical information at the expense of the applicant before moving on to deliberations. The board agreed to provide the name and contact information of the chosen consultant to the applicant for review of his credentials.
The meeting was continued to Jan. 31 at 7 p.m.