Residents in Bel Air, MD urged town commissioners to adopt an amendment allowing towers in a B1 limited business district, reported the Baltimore Sun. Towers are needed to improve coverage in the area in and around Bel Air.
James Thompson moved to Bel Air a year ago and noticed problems with his cell service. “It seems to me that the convenience of having a strategically placed tower should be more important than concern about how it looks,” Thompson said.
TowerCo is proposing to build a 150-foot monopole on the St. Matthew Lutheran Church, the only property in the B1 District that fits the two acres or larger requirement. The tower will house antennas for three major carriers and is a welcome project.
According to lawyer Albert J. Young, no one present at the recent hearing opposed the tower. “The bottom line is in this era, this day and age, good cellular service is something we all rely on, not only for personal convenience but it’s a matter of public safety at this point,” Young said.
Additionally, Young provided the commissioners with a letter from John Carroll School President Steve DiBiagio, who said cell coverage at the school is, “erratic and unreliable” and that it’s not unusual for calls to and from campus to drop unexpectedly. “You can imagine the frustration this causes parents, the inconvenience it causes faculty and staff, and the disruption it causes to the daily operation of the school,” DiBiagio said in the letter.
The ordinance was already reviewed by the town planning commission, which recommended its approval. The matter will continue at the commissioners’ next meeting, September 3, so the two commissioners who were absent can hear the public’s comments, according to the Sun. Craig Hartman, director of business development for TowerCo, said it could be six to nine months before the tower is built.
August 21, 2019
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