Omnipoint withdraws cell tower application
ACTON — Residents against the construction of a cell tower in a West Acton neighborhood declared their campaign a success after the permit was withdrawn last week.
On Jan. 17, Omnipoint Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of T-Mobile, withdrew its application for a permit to build a cell tower on the Church of the Good Shepherd’s property at 164 Newtown Road. Citizens Against Cell Towers in Residential Areas, or CACTRA, heralded the retraction as a result of their increased pressure and action to prevent the communications facility in housing and school zones.
Representatives from Omnipoint did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Kim DelNigro, the Planning Board’s secretary, confirmed the wireless company’s permit withdrawal and said the Omnipoint representatives gave no explanation. However, she had her own speculations.
“Maybe the citizens’ petition filed for Town Meeting got [Omnipoint] scared and maybe they thought it would be too much of a fight,” DelNigro said.
The Planning Department is still awaiting the original copy of the letter the communications business faxed to the town last week.
Will Tuffin, one of the handful of neighbors who began the fight against the cell pole’s construction, said he believed the work of the citizen’s group led to the communications company’s permit withdrawal.
“We think it’s because of hundreds of citizens in Acton petitioning and providing information in the process that showed the project had many incurable defects,” the Arlington resident said.
Tuffin and residents from streets including Arlington, Newtown and Lincoln have urged town officials to cancel Omnipoint’s permit since its submission last September. Hearings concerning the cell tower permit have been postponed as the company tried to find a different location, according to Ray Lyons, the Church of the Good Shepherd’s lawyer.
Members of this West Acton neighborhood said a cell pole would ruin the town’s character, devalue their properties and pose potential health risks. Members of the citizens’ group have filed an article for the Town Warrant, outlining a plan to change the town’s zoning bylaws so cell towers cannot be built in residential or school areas.
“We’re not against cell towers in general in commercial areas or town locations. They need to go somewhere. We understand that,” Tuffin said. “What we’re against is the misplacement of cell towers in residential areas or near schools.”
Tuffin also plans to appear before other town boards, including selectmen, in attempt to win two-thirds of a Town Meeting vote need to change the bylaw.
“We want to make a point that the 1996 Federal Communications Act does not trump everything,” Tuffin said, referring to a law that many believe allows cell companies to supercede town legislation. “We’re going to show them in black and white.”
The Planning Board is scheduled to discuss zoning bylaw changes in reference to cell towers at its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13.