Center Ave. Cell Tower Hearing Starts Monday

Editor's note: The MetroPCS application has been carried to the zoning board's June 4 meeting.

The Westwood Zoning Board is scheduled to begin hearing an application from MetroPCS for their plan to build a cell tower above tonight.

The plan calls for a 24-foot faux smokestack to be built on top of the theater, which will have a combined height of about 70 feet. Some equipment would also be housed in an old projector room.

According to a report from Christopher Olsen, a radio frequency engineering consultant for MetroPCS, the tower would fill a gap in the company's coverage around Broadway, Kinderkamack Road, Washington Avenue, Westwood Avenue, Old Hook Road and Third Avenue.

"An unserved area in Radio Frequency signal coverage currently exists in the Borough of Westwood," Olsen wrote in the report.

The plan requires several variances, including one for the use, which is not permitted in the Central Business District, and one for the height, which exceeds the allowed 30-foot limit in the zone.

The are currently three cell towers in Westwood, located at the , and the , which is also located on Center Avenue.

The board is also scheduled to vote on the first of planned for the on Kinderkamack Road.

The Westwood Zoning Board meets at 8 p.m. in the municipal complex.