Residents of the King Thiel Senior Community are up in arms over a proposal to build a 70-foot, camouflaged cell tower about 100 feet from their building, reported Spotlight News.
The complexity around the project began in 2006 when Verizon Wireless leased land from Elks Lodge No. 2192 but did not build any infrastructure. In the meantime, Elks Lodge sold a piece of the same land to the Colonie Senior Service Center, Inc., which built a 96-unit independent living apartment building for those 55 years and older in 2017.
Now, Verizon wants to construct a tower but was denied a building permit by the town. The telecom went before the Zoning Board of Appeals earlier this month but no action was taken by the ZBA.
According to Town Attorney Mike Magguilli, “It appears the project has been around a long time, but every public hearing we had about the Planned Development District Permit it was not mentioned once. The main problem is they want to build this cell tower within 92 feet of the senior facility. We agree with the resident that this is not a good idea.”
There are federal guidelines that may supersede town law when it comes to building cellular infrastructure, reported the News.
“The wireless industry has a tremendously effective lobby and the fear is there are federal laws that preempt local laws,” Magguilli said. “When we negotiate with cell phone companies we often do so with, not just one but both hands tied behind our backs.”
For the cell tower to get approval now, the PDD will have to get amended which takes an action by the Town Board, rather than a simple stamp of approval by the Building Department or the Planning Board, reported the News. Comments? Email Us.
February 15, 2019
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