town bd rejects placing cell antennas in residential areas

The Greenburgh Town Board unanimously rejected a proposal by Crown Castle
(formerly NextG) to locate 20 distributed antenna systems in residential areas. 

Over the years over 50 cellular installations have been approved in
locations throughtout unincorporated Greenburgh. Our goal: to preserve the
suburban character, aesthetics and property values. We have tried to place
antennas in non residential areas, if at all possible. 

We concluded that NextG has failed to prove that its cell phone antennas was
"needed to provide coverage to an area of unincorporated Greenburgh that
currently has inadequate coverage." We also indicated in our opinion that
because NextG was looking to accomodate multiple carriers, the equipment
proposed "is purely speculative or whether it is twice the size needed, in thier
case...does not meet the standard of minimal intrusiveness." Did Next G prove
that its facility "is the minimum height necessary to provide the coverage"? We
think not!

If NextG wishes to amend their application and comply with the town code, we
will review the application. However, the new application should address "the
service gap in the given areas from the perspecive of users and show how any
service cannot be solved by sitings in nonresidential areas."

If you would like a copy of the memo please e mail me at pfeiner@greenburghny.com. Special thanks to the members of the
Conservation Advisory Council. They were very helpful in researching federal
telecommunications law, reviewing the proposed application and they helped the
town find a nationally known telecommunications expert, Andrew Rau who we hired
as our telecommunications counsel to represent the town in this matter.

PAUL FEINER