5G Cell Towers Coming Down In Point Pleasant Beach

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ — The partially built 5G "eyesore" towers installed around Point Pleasant Beach will be removed under an agreement reached between the borough and the developer, Mayor Doug Vitale announced.

Vitale, in a post on his Facebook page, said the settlement with Munisite is anticipated to be presented to the Borough Council for its approval at the Sept. 3 council meeting.

"The settlement provides for Munisite's prompt removal of the 5G poles that have been installed, after which Munisite's right of way license agreement will terminate," Vitale wrote. "In exchange, the Borough will provide Munisite with limited compensation reflecting its hard costs incurred with installing the poles."

The settlement comes after months of back-and-forth with Munisite over the potential 5G poles and the beginnings of the installation in April. The five partially constructed towers are on Niblick Street, on Ocean Avenue, at the Inlet, on Water Street, and on Broadway at the street end at the Boardwalk.

The borough passed a new ordinance earlier this year governing small wireless facilities and will regulate 5G poles going forward, Vitale said.

"The ordinance allows carriers to access the right of way as required by federal law, while imposing reasonable design standards to be approved by the governing body," he said.

The settlement also comes after the borough ordered Munisite to remove the poles in July, after borough officials objected to the aesthetics, calling them "an eyesore."

Munisite had received approvals in October 2023 to begin the process to build poles at eight sites in town, Vitale said at the June council meeting, something the borough had resisted completely until a ruling by the Federal Communications Commission in 2018 that said cellular phone companies had the right put up cell signal infrastructure.

Munisite received its CAFRA permits for the first eight sites on Dec. 8, 2023, and on Dec. 23, they were approved by the borough's building department. It wasn't until April, when construction began, that officials saw how ugly the poles looked, Vitale said.

"I appreciate the public's patience as we worked to achieve this settlement with Munisite, and I thank Munisite for their cooperation in reaching this negotiated outcome," Vitale said.