Croton to allow 150 foot cell towers in RA-40 and ra-60
In the May 24th edition of The Gazette, Trustees Len Simon and Ian Murtaugh stated that the Village is preparing to schedule a public hearing on a draft law that will permit 150-foot monopole cell phone towers, like the one at the train station, in all of the RA-40 single family zoning district. Such towers require fenced compounds of supporting equipment (generators, batteries, fans, etc.) that exceed 2,000 square feet in size.
The draft law would permit towers in Light Industrial (LI), Parks, Recreation and Education (PRE), Limited Office (O-1), General Commercial (C-2), One-Family Residence (R-40), One-Family Residence (R-60). To see a zoning map of Croton, visit https://www.crotononhudson-ny.gov/village-engineers-office/pages/zoning
Under this new law, any property owner in RA-40 or RA-60 would be able to earn income by leasing their land to companies like Homeland Towers and Crown Castle for a cell tower, and due to FCC rules, the Village would have few options to deny the tower. Cell towers work by line of sight, and there are no elevation requirements.
There are enough potential locations for towers to improve Croton’s cell service without allowing them in residential neighborhoods where they will:
· Damage to home values. Estimates are between 10% and 25%.
· Damage wildlife and negatively impact the environment.
· Negatively impact neighborhood aesthetics. Flagpole or fake tree cell towers will not work with three or four cell carriers on a tower – we will get monopoles.
· Introduce noise pollution from generators, batteries, and fans.
· Create potential health risks from extended exposure to RF radiation.
We believe the village will schedule the public hearing for the draft law after school lets out and people have left for vacations to avoid possible push-back from residents who live in RA-40 and RA-60.
If you share our concerns, please email the Board of Trustees at BoardofTrustees@crotononhudson-ny.gov to demand that no cell towers, only small cell solutions, be permitted in residential zoning districts.
Contact Croton Residents for Responsible Telecom for more information or to be notified when the public hearing is scheduled at info@crotontelecom.org
