Zoners in Washington hear testimony on Route 130 site
Frank D’Amico
WASHINGTON — Real estate appraisers say a proposal to construct a cellular tower along Route 130 would impact property values near the site negatively.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment started hearing testimony from the appraisers it hired to study a proposal by Omnipoint to build a monopole communications tower on the west side of Route 130 near its intersection with Woodside Road.
At its regular meeting March 16, the board heard testimony from an appraiser who studied subdivisions that were near cellular towers in various New Jersey municipalities.
Robert F. Heffernan, a state licensed real estate appraiser, presented a report he prepared with two colleagues. He also is the chairman of the Tewksbury Zoning Board of Adjustment.
One of the towns studied in the report was Randolph Township in Morris County.
Mr. Heffernan said he and his colleagues prepared “paired sales analysis” reports. The reports looked at two comparable houses that were sold around the same time.
By comparable, Mr. Heffernan said he looked at houses that were similar in style, size, age and amenities, such as a finished basement or a Jacuzzi. Of the two houses, one had a view of a cellular tower.
Mr. Heffernan said six studies were done, each comparing two houses, and each time the house with the tower view sold at a lower price.
When the houses were different slightly, the appraisers subtracted some adjustments from the final sales price, such as $3,500 for a fireplace and $7,500 for a finished basement.
Even with the adjustments, the houses without cell tower views sold for more, the report showed.
Mr. Heffernan said the difference in the sales prices in the six paired analyses ranged from 8.67 percent to 12.39 percent, with a mean percentage difference of 10.61 percent.
The houses were sold mainly in 1998, with some sold in 1999.
Mr. Heffernan said he studied resale properties and not empty lots because Omnipoint’s tower would be built near existing houses in the area opposite Woodside Road.
Kerry Flowers, Omnipoint’s attorney, didn’t have a chance to cross-examine Mr. Heffernan at the March 16 meeting because of the length of the meeting.
The board held a special meeting Monday to continue hearing testimony about the rest of the report.
Edward Kerwin, a tax assessor for several towns including Bedminster and Warren townships, worked on the report with his wife, Marcia Sudano, and Mr. Heffernan.
However, Mr. Kerwin is not a licensed real estate appraiser — he is in the process of obtaining a license — and Mr. Flowers objected to Mr. Kerwin testifying.
Board attorney Pamela Matarese said Mr. Kerwin could testify if Mr. Heffernan was present at the meeting. Mr. Heffernan was not available at Monday’s meeting.
The rest of the testimony was scheduled to continue at a special meeting 7:30 p.m. April 3.