As New York City moves ahead with its plans to install 5G poles throughout the city, each neighborhood in its path has had to decide how to react to the rollout. While some communities embrace the connectivity, others decry the unwelcome appearance of the 32-foot host poles. Giving in to historical concerns, City Bridge, the consortium that owns LinkNYC, has withdrawn plans to place a tower in front of the Westbeth Artists Housing building, reports Our Town.
Originally constructed in 1860, the building in question was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and served for many years as a Bell Telephone Laboratories Complex. Since 1970, the edifice has been the site of the Westbeth Artists community offering affordable housing, as well as an onsite art gallery, theater, and synagogue. The Greenwich Village Society of Historic Preservationists, aka “Village Preservation,” has argued that the facade includes “delicate features” that would be obscured if one of the city’s cell tower poles were installed at that location.
Village Preservation told Our Town that the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has agreed with their determination that a 5G pole would compromise the historic integrity of the site. The SHPO has not confirmed whether or not this statement is true.
An unnamed City Bridge spokesman commented that this situation is a credit to their 60-day review process. The individual noted that a review was underway and plans to withdraw an application for a cell tower site at 445 West Street were under consideration. “We appreciate the Village Preservation’s comments on these sites and are exploring how we can incorporate their feedback,” noted the individual. “We look forward to continuing to work with Village Preservation and all of our community partners to deploy the Link5G network and deliver the connectivity and digital safety net New Yorkers need while minimizing impact on historical sites.”
“Once the SHPO finds that the tower would have a negative impact, CityBridge doesn’t have a lot of options. So I wouldn’t necessarily congratulate them for dropping this one, given the finding,” stated Village Preservation Executive Director Andrew Berman. “It’s also worth noting that CityBridge tried to avoid this entire Section 106 historic preservation review process altogether, which only moved forward once they were forced to participate.”
Although Berman also referred to the 5G poles as “unnecessary” and “ungainly,” Mayor Eric Adams’ administration remains committed to extending 5G connectivity to all New Yorkers, according to Our Town.
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