Citywide Board Gives Green Light To Maspeth Cell Tower

Despite opposition from local residents, the city's Board of Standards and Appeals unanimously approved on Tuesday, Dec. 16 a communications company's permit to erect a cell phone tower atop a Maspeth home.

With one member absent, the panel voted 4-0 in favor of the variance application submitted by Omnipoint Communications— which operates T-Mobile—to install the cell phone transmitter atop a home at 53-20 72nd Pl.

Originally designed to be a 25'- tall antenna disguised as a flagpole atop a 25'-high residential building, Omnipoint reduced the total height of the tower by 10 feet in the application approved by the BSA Tuesday. The changes were made after objections were raised by local residents at several public hearings held previously.

Nonetheless, the BSA's acceptance of the plan was decried by Assemblywoman Margaret Markey, who stated that the tower's construction was "an inappropriate intrusion on a peaceful residential block and it should not have been permitted."

"I was proud to stand with the community to fight the original plan for this site and have no doubt that our vigorous opposition reduced it's overwhelming scale," the legislator said.

As previously reported, plans for the antenna were unveiled by Omnipoint representatives at Community Board 5's meeting on Oct. 10, 2007. According to the communications corporation, the device was needed to fill what they claimed was a gap in coverage in the Maspeth area.

Board 5 members and neighbors of the 72nd Place site expressed outrage over the plan at the meeting, citing concerns over the height of the antenna as well as possible side effects that residents could face from prolonged exposure to signals and RF radiation emitted by similar devices.

During last Wednesday's Board 5 meeting, members observed that the antenna—even at a reduced height—was not a necessity since many T-Mobile customers in the area have informed the advisory body that they have found no signs of any coverage gap.

Despite the plan's approval, Markey vowed that she and the community would work together to oppose any future plan for other cell phone towers in the area.

"I want to warn T-Mobile and any other cellular company that seeks to use this case as a precedent: get ready for a fight," the assemblywoman stated. "We will continue to strongly oppose any other plan that seeks to place a cell tower on any residential block in my district."