Cell Tower Project Is Back, With A Twist
By Doug La Rocque
The Brunswick Planning Board held only its second meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic broke, and it was once again using a teleconference format. The Thursday, May 22 gathering death with some larger topics, and in particular, the proposal by Blue Sky Towers/Verizon Wireless, to construct a cell phone tower on land at the corner of Creek Road and Menemsha Lane.
The company originally proposed three possible sites, ranging in height from 80 feet to over 200 feet. Their tower of choice would have been somewhere in the middle, at 140 feet. All three proposals meet with solid opposition from residents of the area at a public hearing, where many asked for an alternate site on nearby property.
Attorney Dave Brennan represented the applicants that evening, and said they looked at the proposed alternative siting and found it failed to meet their requirements. He also presented a drone video that showed a full circle view of the 150 and 80 foot sites, but added another view from 90 feet as well. According to Mr. Brennan, this new height, being labeled as a fourth option, might well change some of the sight concerns expressed at the public hearing, and still provide the applicant with optimal coverage. The twist here is, the siting of a 90 foot tower would be much closer to a small grove of trees, and would lend itself to being installed as a monopole disguised to look like a tree.
Mr. Brennan says the written response to all the questions raised at the public hearing, should be ready to present to the board at its next meeting, on Thursday June 4, when the entire matter will be further discussed.
Re-Inventing Ace Hardware, Again
Last year, the owners of Ace Hardware on Hoosick Road (NYS Route 7) came before the planners to ask for permission to tear down the out building that once held its small engine repair shop, and replace it with a two story office building. The board gave its blessing, but other than a realtor’s sign out front, little has been done with the site. Apparently, there is not the interest in the proposed office building the owners hoped for. Now they are asking the board for permission to remove a small portion of the main building on the east side and replace it with a cafe and gym. Parking they claim, would meet the minimal requirements of the towns’s building codes, something Codes Enforcement Officer Chuck Golden says he wants to check out, and asked for copies of the parking layout. Department of Environment conservation approval concerning any impact on wetlands on the site, has already been approved.
The board would like more time to study the proposal, but did agree the changes were minimal enough as not to require another public hearing.
Other Business
The board set Thursday, June 18 at 7 pm as the time for a public hearing on a special use and site plan application submitted by Charles Farrell for land on Brunswick Road (NYS Route 2) and debated whether a subdivision application for property owned by Sean Gallivan on Deep Kill Road should be considered a major subdivision because of previous activity on the site. The planners indicated they hoped to have a decision by the next meeting.
The Board next meets on Thursday, June 4. The forum of which is yet to be determined.