Mount Kisco’s village board recently rejected two locations Homeland Towers proposed for a 100-foot cell tower and residents rejoiced, reported the Rockland/Westchester Journal News. Residents feared the tower would damage their property values and woodsy views. Although officials heeded residents’ concerns, Mayor Gina Picinich warned that the region’s gaps in cell service won’t solve themselves.,
“We don’t have a solution right now to this problem,” said Picinich.
As individual data usage and the overall population grows, wireless providers are seeking more towers across the region and some towns are more receptive than others. The Journal News reported that Yorktown already hosts several cell towers to serve its 36,000 residents in the 39-square-mile town. Homeland Towers has plans to install infrastructure on an existing water tower and the town’s emergency communication system will be installed as well, free of charge.
Additionally, Bedford has established a hierarchy for future cell tower locations by requiring co-location on an existing tower as option number one.
“We want to be proactive so that we can identify areas where we have (cell service) issues and try to address those issues before a cell carrier or a tower developer comes in with an application that we may not agree with,” said Bedford Supervisor Chris Burdick.
Homeland’s founder and president, Manuel Vicente, had told Bedford Town Board members that a proposal to construct a tower at the municipal offices could provide the town with lease revenue and space for an emergency responder communications system. Comments? Email Us.
February 20, 2019
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