Eric and Inge Wimmers, Tall Timbers Drive
At an "informational meeting" last Thursday, Lawrence Township Manager Richard Krawczun reiterated the township’s plan to allow Verizon (Cellco) to erect two 160 foot cell phone towers on a small parcel of land on Carter Road near the entrance to Bristol Myers Squibb. Such enormous towers would be blights on the residential neighborhood across the street and beyond and, indeed, in violation of the township’s own zoning ordinance with regard to required setbacks for structures of such magnitude.
In addition, the towers, which would house transmitters for five cell phone companies, would be within 600 feet of the Child Development Center on the BMS campus, raising fears of harmful effects on the children cared for there. One has to ask what the Township Council was thinking to approve the introduction of such an inappropriate element into the neighborhood.
Township officials informed the group of extremely skeptical residents on Thursday that they had scheduled the informational meeting as a "courtesy." They said that the township could do what it wants with township-owned land, including ignoring its own ordinances with regard to height, etc. They said that they could simply have allowed construction of the towers to begin without informing anybody in the neighborhood. Perhaps this is legally true, but is this any way to govern? Should not township officials be protecting the character of our neighborhoods rather than contributing to their decline?
Finally, why is the township rushing to offer this land to Verizon before Verizon itself appeals the zoning board’s Dec. 19 decision not to permit a single, smaller tower on Peterson’s Nursery? It appears that the zoning board turned down Verizon’s request principally because, on the night of its vote, it received written notice from Mr. Krawczun that the township could offer an "alternate site" on Carter Road. But this site is not acceptable from many points of view and should not have been proposed by elected officials who understand and care about the character of our community. I have been told that whoever owns the land on which Verizon erects its tower or towers will receive yearly rents estimated at about $20,000 from each of the five carriers. But should the desire for this revenue influence or determine the township’s views on the matter?
I would like to call upon the Township Council — Mark Holmes, Bob Bostock, Rick Miller, Pam Mount and Michael Powers — to direct the manager first to wait for the result of Verizon’s appeal of the zoning board’s ruling in the Peterson case. Then, if necessary, locate a site for Verizon that will not inflict such damage on a residential neighborhood.
