Brookhaven postpones vote on 150-foot cell tower proposal in Medford

Plans to build a 150-foot cell tower at a Medford horse farm have been postponed after nearby residents and Brookhaven Town Board members called on developers to find a different location for the pole.

Residents who live on adjacent Sand Hills Lane, speaking last Thursday at a Brookhaven Town Board public hearing, suggested building the tower at a golf course or industrial site instead of at Country Farms Equestrian Center on Bellport Avenue.

Toward the end of the 90-minute hearing, a lawyer for Deer Park developer Elite Towers agreed to explore other locations.

"We would certainly welcome that conversation to see what alternatives might be available," Garden City lawyer Gregory R. Alvarez told the town board.

The town board, acting as the planning board, postponed a decision until Nov. 19.

Elite Towers, Verizon Wireless and the Yaphank Fire District had sought approval of the tower and related support structures on a 2,500-square-foot section of the horse farm. The tower would serve commercial cell providers and would be topped by a 9-foot antenna for the fire department, Alvarez said.

Earlier in the meeting, Alvarez said the tower would address "serious [cell] service deficiencies" in the area. He added the fire department also had communications disruptions.

"The property is in the exact center of the area" that needs improved cell coverage, Alvarez said.

Yaphank fire officials did not speak at the hearing and did not return a call seeking comment.

During the hearing, eight residents said the tower would be unsightly and was inappropriate for the mostly residential neighborhood.

"This pole seems so out of place," Arthur DiGianno, of Medford, told the board. He called on officials to consider industrial sites such as a warehouse complex at the Long Island Expressway's Exit 66, rather than "right behind and across the street from a very populated residential area in the middle of a horse corral where children take riding lessons."

Marie Cannava, also of Medford, ridiculed Alvarez's description of the pole as a "concealment tower" that would blend in with the surrounding area.

"Calling something a concealment tower doesn’t make it invisible," Cannava said. "Right now, we have a charming horse farm. ... Ask yourselves if you would want such a tower as the view from your front yard, from your kitchen window or your patio."

Town board members also expressed a preference for relocating the project or making the pole shorter.

Councilman Michael Loguercio suggested reducing the pole's height to 120 feet, adding, "I'm not really convinced we have to go to 150 [feet]."

Alvarez responded that a shorter pole would cause "significant diminishment" of the tower's coverage area.

Councilman Neil Foley agreed that the pole would disturb neighbors' views. Speaking to Alvarez from the dais, Foley said a rendering provided by the developer appeared to show a gray pole with cloudy skies in the background.

"It did happen to be a cloudy day" when a photo used in the rendering was taken, Alvarez said.

"Good timing, right?" Foley replied.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.