T-Mobile Officials Explain Need for Cell Tower

T-Mobile officials hope installing a cell tower near Morris Turnpike in Short Hills will fill a gap in its coverage.

A T-Mobile consultant testified before the Zoning Board of Adjustment Monday night, showing a map with the gap centered over a portion of Hartshorn Drive in Short Hills. The area, which was white on the map, is surrounded by green and yellow splotches, which are considered reliable coverage areas. By installing the proposed cell tower, the area would have a more reliable coverage area, which was represented by a green and yellow spot on the map.

T-Mobile has proposed to construct a 140-foot cellular tower behind the Short Hills Terrace apartments at 806 Morris Turnpike. The proposed tower would be about 80 feet from the property line, adjacent to the train tracks. It also would be about 80 feet from the apartment building, which is tucked back from the road. The tower would look like a tree, similar to other masked cell towers in the region, including one along the Garden State Parkway in Clark. The hearing has been continued to Nov. 1.

Sanil Alluri, T-Mobile consultant, said the tower would need to be at least 130 feet in order to fulfill the coverage requirements. Trees in the area would block the signal if the pole was half the height.

Alluri also reviewed several sites in the area considered for a cell tower, including rooftops and "raw land," but those other sites were rejected. But he could not give specific addresses and landlords for those sites and, in some cases, could not say why those sites were rejected. He said he had reviewed the records from T-Mobile and some of the information was not included, but would bring it back to the board at a later date. In the case of the rejected rooftop antennas sites, he said, they were not high enough to provide the coverage needed.

The board questioned if there were other existing cell towers in the area from other companies and if T-Mobile could co-locate on that pole. James Pryor, attorney for T-Mobile's case, said if there was such an opportunity in the vicinity, T-Mobile would use that pole. But no opportunities that meets T-Mobile's requirements are available in the area.

Several area residents in attendance questioned the need for the cell tower and if there is a coverage gap. Some said they have or had T-Mobile service and never had an issue with receiving or making phone calls in the area.

Alluri said just because there's a gap doesn't mean people won't be able to make or receive phone calls. There are some factors such as the distance to the reliable coverage area and the type of handset used that could mean phone calls can be made, he said, or the phone could be roaming and using another cellular service. But he could not say what agreements T-Mobile has for roaming in the area and the area is not reliable to make or receive phone calls.