Petition Opposes Proposed Cell Phone Tower in Hillsborough

Hillsborough, NJ -- A petition posted on change.org opposing Verizon Wireless’s proposed cell phone tower in Hillsborough has collected 406 supporters as of Thursday afternoon.

The proposed location is the Woods Road Firehouse, which is in a “100 percent residential neighborhood,” according to the petition, launched by a group calling itself the Hillsborough Tower Brigade.

“This will set a dangerous precedent in Hillsborough and the first time in Somerset County that a cell phone tower would be located in a purely residentially zoned area,” the brigade says in the post.

They cite township ordinance violations, possible links to serious health issues as a result of radiation exposure, the possibility the 150-foot tower could collapse, fire, decreases in property value and noise among the reasons they oppose the proposal.

“Even the International Association of Firefighters opposes cell phone towers at fire stations until they are proven not to be hazardous to the health and well-being of the firefighters,” the post reads.

The Hillsborough Tower Brigade proposes the use of small antennae systems known as Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) on poles.

Verizon is seeking a series of variance approvals from the Zoning Board of Adjustments for the proposed tower. The next meeting is Wednesday, July 20, 7:30 p.m. at the municipal building.

Verizon has also looked into putting a tower on Township Line Road, but that would require changes by the state, according to centraljersey.com.

At the same time, the company is seeking approval for a 120-foot tower in Montgomery Township. Hillsborough Township Manager David Maski has asked Verizon if a combination of a tower on Township Line Road and in Montgomery would satisfy the company’s needs for increased signal strength in the area, according to the report.

The attached image of a cell phone tower is a Patch file photo