In Michigan, the Milford Township Board of Trustees unanimously approved a 158-foot Verizon Wireless monopine, reported The Spinal Column. The decision comes after Verizon filed a lawsuit against the township last October, following a denial by the board to rezone the desired tower site from suburban residential to a wireless communication overlay zone.
Some neighbors oppose the project, citing aesthetic concerns and the lowering of property values. Last fall, some residents circulated a petition, plus hired legal counsel, to fight the rezoning. However, there are also some residents in favor of the project, reported the Column.
Milford Township too, hired legal counsel to review Verizon’s proposal and found the tower is “necessary to address the gap in coverage.” According to Milford Township Attorney Jennifer Elowsky, “[The parties contend] that even though Verizon diligently attempted to locate alternate sites, there were no alternate feasible sites available to target that coverage that was needed and properly addressed the gap.”
Supervisor Don Green said that approving Verizon’s project, “was a tough decision, but in the best interest of the township as a whole, as defending the lawsuit would be costly with no guarantees. This is another way to get [service] to everybody.”
Regarding the tower design, Elowsky said, “We’ve asked them [Verizon] to make that tree more realistic looking as possible and fill it in with more branches to make it look more compliant with trees in the area.”
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