To the editor:
I am writing as an appeal to my fellow Hillsborough Township residents to attend the July 20th Board of Adjustment meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building courtroom.
On the agenda is part 2 of Verizon’s application to erect a 120-foot monopole with 6-foot lightning rod at 324 Woods Road, per an agreement with Hillsborough Fire Company No. 3. On the ground will be a fenced equipment compound with a diesel generator, and plans for future co-location so additional carriers can increase the height of the tower and add rings of transmitters for their equipment.
All of this is being proposed not along a highway, in an industrial park, in a commercial zone, near a shopping center, along a main street, or in a heavily wooded area. Company No. 3 is completely surrounded by homes and the tower would be within 200 feet from the yards of 23 residential neighbors, less than 900 feet from field at Woods Road Elementary School, and the equipment compound will be less than 100 feet from property lines.
There are alternative technologies and locations that would not impose a hardship on homeowners via property value degradation and loss of the aesthetic beauty of our neighborhoods.
Why should this application concern township residents no matter where they live? Because its approval could set a dangerous precedent and represent the beginning of a slippery slope I do not believe we want to travel down. It would mean the egregious annihilation of six zoning laws in place to protect the sanctity of our residential neighborhoods and would represent the first cell tower in Somerset County to be erected in a strictly residential zone.
At the board meeting on June 15, it was apparent that Verizon would erect a monopole every 2 miles, if they could. Is this what we want for our Hillsborough? 324 Woods Road is ground zero for this battle. Where will the next location be?
As a real estate professional, I can attest to the glorious reputation and desirability our town has enjoyed in recent years with buyers in central New Jersey attracted to our excellent schools, pastoral views, and commitment to preserving open space in our township.
We have consistently made Money Magazine’s list for 100 best places to live in the country, and Hillsborough is described as a “bucolic haven“ in New Jersey.
I hope all residents, no matter where they live in town, will consider attending on July 20 to show support for the preservation of our zoning laws and the “good life“ in Hillsborough. No taxpayer should be forced to part with their hard-earned equity and ability to enjoy the peace of their home by having a cell tower literally looming over their residential rooftop.
Linda Marucci
Hillsborough
