UPDATE After reporting on the heavily debated cell tower placement issue in Mount Kisco, NY last month, the Examiner News is back with an update. An undeniable need for connectivity has led the Mount Kisco Village Board to select a section of Leonard Park as the least objectionable siting option.
With a 4-1 vote, the Board decided that commandeering a little used section of the public park was better than choosing an alternate location with nearby neighbors. “I believed then, and I still do, that [building a] tower so close to a home would put undue burden on the homeowners,” said Mayor Gina.
Picinich explaining her vote. “That’s largely the reason why I don’t think the location at 180 S. Bedford Rd. is an appropriate location. It’s simply too close to two residences.”
The process to declare the parkland as eminent domain is expected to take at least a year to clear the state legislature, according to the Examiner News. Once given the go-ahead, Homeland Towers can begin the construction of a 130-foot camouflaged monopole. Though financial arrangements have not been disclosed, the source speculates that lease fees will probably cost the telco about $60,000 per year.
While some Board members bemoaned the loss of the greenspace, there was an acknowledgement that surveys have shown the region to be underserved, leaving the Board to decide where to place a cell tower, not if they needed one. “In order to challenge this thing in court successfully,” Trustee Anne Bianchi reminded the Board, “You have to have some legal basis in which to do that.”
“In a portion of the park that does not have a high portion of utility, that is not appropriate for traditional park purposes, and that can be an issue which is debated, then the Village of Mount Kisco, this board, has the ability to alienate that portion of the property,” Village Attorney, Whitney Singleton told the News. “We’re not selling it; we’re not proposing to sell it. What’s being considered is the viability of a long-term lease for a cell tower to provide service for the community.”
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