Residents in McCandless Township, PA are concerned that a 5G rollout will bulldoze their right to decide what their town looks like. At the most recent Council meeting, citizens met to discuss the current ordinance which regulates cell antennas, reports GovTech.com. The goal was to modify the rules to limit the appearance of placement of the surge of cell tower equipment that they believe will be coming.
“We wanted to focus on mitigating the impact [of the antennas], especially as they start to proliferate in the town,” said town attorney Gavin Robb. “We also wanted to add features such as ‘stealth’ technology that allows these small cell systems to blend in and not be eyesores.”
R.J. Susko, Planning Director, added her insights, saying that she believes rules can be adjusted to govern the location and style of antennas, so long as they do not interfere with the equipment’s ability to function properly. Susko described numerous ways that towers can be incorporated into the landscape in an unobtrusive way, such as banners and camouflage paint, or moving units underground. “These are not giant cell towers being dropped into the sidewalk,” she said.
A vote on new ordinance wording is planned for early September. “As long the changes are published ahead of time, [the town of McCanless] can require installers to comply with them,” said lawyer Robb, who added that the application process “has been beefed up to make it very clear what needs to be submitted when filing an application.”
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