Cell towers don’t belong in residential zones
By Canton CitizenDear Editor:
The Canton Fish and Game Association, a nonprofit organization, in conjunction with Vertex Tower Assets, LLC, has filed an application with the Canton Zoning Board of Appeals for a zoning variance and a special permit to construct a telecommunications base station in a residential neighborhood at the end of Nasir Ahmad Road.
This proposal would seem incongruous with their stated purpose of “fishing, hunting and maintaining the land to enhance fishing and hunting opportunities.” They propose cutting down 12,805 square feet of trees and removing 27 truckloads of earth from the site, all near the Massapoag Brook, two conservation areas and the Dr. Nathaniel Fuller Wildlife Sanctuary. The subsequent erosion and impact on the topography, devastation to wildlife habitats and vegetation could be irreparable. They claim this 125-foot tower will be hidden amongst the trees; however, most of the trees are half that height.
Can anyone ever feel comfortable again purchasing a home in a residentially zoned area knowing it may be subject to a zoning variance allowing a telecommunications tower to be erected adjacent to you, against your wishes? Everything you have dreamed of and worked for all of your lives, disrupted in a blink of an eye. Suddenly, your property values are decreasing; your safety and very health are in question; and depending on the location, the environment is put at risk. It’s unfathomable but true.
Canton zoning bylaws dictate that telecommunications structures should be erected in limited industrial or industrial locations. This, in my opinion, is where they should stay.
Aesthetics are not the only concern evaluating cell tower siting. There are very serious health, environmental, and public safety issues to take in to account. As time goes by, there are more and more peer-reviewed, scientific, medical, and engineering studies that confirm the dangers. New Hampshire is leading the way in trying to fight these hazards. Like all things in science and medicine, there may never be a true consensus, but isn’t the best course of action to err on the side of caution?
Bill Mason
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=102287
Posted by Canton Citizen
on Jan 26 2023. Filed under From One Citizen to Another, Opinion.
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