New Cingular Wireless’ design to blend antennas into the roof of River Road self-storage building was approved by the Board of Adjustments Aug. 6.
The cell phone company came to the July 16 board meeting to discuss any "reasonable conditions" that the board wanted to attach to the application.
New Cingular Wireless first applied in December 2005. After several hearings and postponements, the board denied the application in March 2007. New Jersey Superior Court Judge Menelaos Toskos ruled that the board did not give substantial evidence to warrant the denial.
The company appealed the decision and Toskos ruled in March 2008.
Fourteen antennas will be mounted to the roof of a self-storage facility located at 410 River Road. Independence Harbor, a group of condominiums, is across the street and had a lawyer object to the project at the original application hearings.
The design involves a stripe across the roof of the building and across the middle of the antennas. Photo simulations were displayed at the Aug. 6 meeting and an attorney for Independence Harbor reviewed them. No objections were made at the meeting.
The New Cingular Wireless planner told the board that the design fits with the building’s architecture and will not really be visible from street level.
"I think it’s admirable that they tried to listen to the board’s suggestion to minimize the impact and have it blend in," board Chairman Robert Christiansen said.
Board member Bernard Holowacz said that if the Independence Harbor representative did not speak at the Aug. 6 meeting, then he believes the neighbors are satisfied with the plan.
"Maybe this could be a model for other communities to tone down the impact [on neighborhoods]," he said.
The board also carried over an application from Omnipoint Communications. The application has been postponed the past few meetings at the applicant’s request because the borough’s cell tower ordinance will change soon.
The courts ruled that the borough could not restrict cell towers to municipal property. The council introduced an ordinance in August to allow towers on private property. It has restrictions to protect residential neighborhoods.
