Belford cell tower issue on hold in Middletown
Applicant wanted to erect tower on Belford Fire Company property
MIDDLETOWN — For now, there will be no cell tower on the property of Belford Fire Company No. 1.
To the delight of a contingent of Belford residents, the Zoning Board of Adjustment has dismissed without prejudice an application from Omnipoint Communications Inc. for a use variance to construct a 150-foot cell tower on the fire company’s property.
After asking for a second adjournment on the application hearing, "the board felt that they’d be putting the public at a disadvantage if the item was carried a second time to January," said Assistant Planner Christine Nazzaro. Omnipoint will now have to refile its application if it still wants to build the tower on the Belford Fire Company site.
Nazzaro added that in situations such as this one, where neighbors are given notice and adjournments carried more than once, people lose sight of when hearings are.
The board saw that as unfair to the public, so it dismissed the application "without prejudice" or due to "lack of prosecution" in planning language, Nazzaro noted.
This glitch was one that pleased tower objectors to no end. After months of fighting the tower due to its implied health risks and property devaluation potential, opponents breathed a sigh of relief when notified of the dismissal. However, they’re not at complete ease over the issue yet.
Belford resident Eileen Mars, who organized the fight against the tower, said, "Mayor (Rosemarie) Peters called me on Nov. 28, the day after the Zoning Board Adjustment meeting in which Omnipoint asked for the second adjournment.
"Ms. Peters told me that the matter had been dismissed without prejudice. She also told me that it seemed as if building a tower in the Belford Fire Company location was in direct violation of an ordinance the township has on file, which dictates that one tower can’t be constructed within 2,000 feet of another."
Mars added that there is a radio tower close by on the corner of Railroad and Main streets in Belford. She said that Peters told her Omnipoint, when and if it reapplies, will have to show proof that it attempted to locate the tower at another site first and that the Belford Fire Company locale is the only viable option.
Though the matter is no longer a pressing issue and may never resurface, Mars says her group is still working on spreading the word against any cell tower being constructed within any reasonable proximity to residences. They’re distributing fliers, consulting with experts and gathering research to support their anti-cell tower claims.
"Should it rear its head again, we’ll be ready," concluded Mars.