By Chelsea Radler, Staff Writer
Despite objections from residents of Princeton and Lawrence, the township Planning Board endorsed the construction of a 160-foot monopole cell tower at 110 Carter Road on Monday night.
Lawrence Township and CWL Realty, LLC, which is leasing the Carter Road plot from the township, were co-applicants to the Planning Board. The township’s attorney, David Roskos, and the legal team for CWL presented four expert witnesses to testify at the meeting.
Members of the Carter Road Homeowners Association, which was formed to oppose the construction, protested that the tower could pose health risks and would decrease their property values.
“What is the purpose of zoning? Is it not to preserve the character of the neighborhood where people live?” asked Eric Wimmers, of Tall Timbers Drive, which is legally in Princeton.
Mr. Wimmers said it was ineffective that township zoning regulations state that a tower can be built on the Carter Road property, but other nearby lots are “residential.”
Mr. Wimmers also said parents are removing their children from the child-care center at the Bristol-Myers Squibb facility because of the health risks posed by the tower.
“No one knows what the health effects of these things are,” he said, also alleging that CWL’s expert witness in radiation did not adequately address health concerns. Planning Board Chairman Nathaniel Moorman responded that the tower would comply with all federal and state regulations.
“It’s not a matter of law, it’s a matter of conscience,” shouted Steven Rudnick of Carter Road.
“I live across the street from this monstrosity. Can any of you guarantee that this won’t have any negative health effects on me or my lovely wife?” Mr. Rudnick asked.
He said his concerns are financial as well as medical.
“You are impoverishing me and my neighbors,” said Mr. Rudnick, who stated his property value will decrease once the tower is constructed. “You are doing a great deal of harm to do a small bit of good.”
The application the Planning Board approved would require the tower to be constructed in a 90-square-foot clearing in an otherwise wooded area on Carter Road. A curved driveway will prevent the tower from being visible from the road, said expert witnesses for CWL.
David Augeri, of Carter Road, raised concerns about a second tower’s construction, a possibility the board confirmed is allowed in the lease contract with CWL. He also recited precedents of several similar towers collapsing across the country after strong winds like those Lawrence experience during a nor’easter in March.
After personally inspecting similar structures throughout New Jersey, Mr. Augeri said he remained skeptical of the township’s claim that the tower wouldn’t be visibly offensive.
“They are anything but blending into the tree line,” he said.
In a letter, the Carter Road Homeowners Association’s attorney Bruce Afran raised concerns that his clients had not had adequate time to prepare evidence or expert witnesses. The meeting was announced with 11 days notice.
“The hearing should be adjourned to permit objectors to develop an evidentiary record,” he wrote.
The township argued that the public interest is best served by the construction of the tower, which will also be used to transmit emergency communications by township police and first aid services.
Township Police Capt. Mark Boyd confirmed current weaknesses in radio service. He recalled that he was once required to leave the scene of an accident on Carter Road to report it in an area that had radio coverage.
CWL Realty will contribute $50,000 toward the cost of the emergency equipment and install it on the its tower.
Cellco Partnership, which operates for business as Verizon Wireless, began investigating a gap in coverage in 1999. When the Planning Board denied its request to build a tower in a residential area at that time, the company began researching alternate sites.
According to a press release issued by the Wednesday, CWL Realty will pay annual rent of $33,000 to the township.
“We had to spend money to hire a lawyer, whereas all these cell phone companies make money, and the township makes rent if the tower is constructed,” said Mr. Wimmers of the Carter Road Homeowners Association.