A new Verizon Wireless cell phone tower planned to be installed off Zimmerman Road north of Gill-Roy’s is raising concerns from neighbors about radiation and property values, including from the developers of The Crown, who are hoping to build 60-80 workforce apartments within a few hundred feet of the tower. Garfield Township planning commissioners agreed to delay action on the project until they could get a legal opinion on their authority over its location – though Township Planning Director John Sych warned that federal regulations limit local control over cell towers.
The proposed 155-foot tower and antenna equipment is slated for near the Alpers gravel pit at 2767 Zimmerman Road (pictured, site map and rendering). Verizon Wireless is seeking to “enhance their network and to provide improved cellular data and coverage” in Garfield Township – particularly the area between Long Lake and US-31, according to the application. The tower will offer “the opportunity for additional cell carriers to improve and expand their coverage while eliminating the need for additional towers within the surrounding area,” the application states. “The proposed service will also improve the emergency services available to the community.”
Applicant TowerNorth Development LLC originally applied for approval last summer, but the application was tabled due to setback issues. Cell towers must be located away from property lines at a distance equal to or greater than their height in Garfield Township. The tower’s original planned location was closer than 155 feet to some property lines. Project representatives then took several months to rework the application, eventually submitting an updated site plan that put the tower 160 feet away from all property lines…