Ridgewood Cell Tower Application is Back

After being dormant for about a year, the cell tower issue in Ridgewood will erupt on March 13 as T-Mobile tries to convince the zoning board to grant it the authority to construct a 125-foot cell tower on the Ho-Ho-Kus border.

Neighbors have – first presented in March of 2011 – saying the structure would be only 40 feet from residential homes and expressed concern for health and safety, as well as declining property values. testified that fears of health – notably cancer – and safety were unfounded.

Applicant attorneys had said a 140-foot tower constructed on the property – which borders a portion of the Ho-Ho-Kus business district – would improve poor-to-average coverage areas to the north, south, southeast and southwest for a mile in each direction. Up to six carriers could "tether" to the tower, experts said. The tower's height was later reduced to a proposed 120-feet, which applicant witnesses testified would still get over a troublesome ridge that leads to dropped calls and 'no service' periods. 

Legally, the issue of cell phone towers makes municipal opposition difficult. T-Mobile, per its FCC license requirement, is required to provide "reliable" coverage to its users. No federal standard of what constitutes reliable has been made but per court rulings, municipal boards cannot prevent carriers from closing significant coverage gaps.

Carriers also have not been shy in taking municipal boards to court in the last decade to overturn decisions. In fact, one of the formative case law precedents in cell tower regulations comes from a decision favoring a carrier that sued Ho-Ho-Kus. Ridgewood ordinances state towers cannot be placed in residential zones, only in business and commercial areas.

Members of the Ridgewood Zoning board suggested in June that T-Mobile identify different sites to place a large cell phone tower for exactly that reason. One such suggestion was the firehouse on E. Glen, though it apparently failed. The village , but folded under intense resident fury. 

T-Mobile previously testified that other suggested site, the Ho-Ho-Kus train station, was "not available".

Residents have also , but carriers do not favor them because they're more costly.

The zoning board meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13 at .