City Settles with Verizon on Cell Pole Placement
(PHOTO: The settlement avoids Verizon erecting a cell antennas on its own building, pictured here, that is adjacent to residential areas.)
The City of Rye announced Thursday it reached a settlement with Verizon that allows the telco to place an 80-foot tall cell monopole on city property at the railroad station. Verizon initially wanted to install antennas on its building at 182 Purchase Street, which is adjacent to residential areas.
The full statement from the City:
In order to settle litigation commenced by Verizon to force the placement of cell antennas in a residential neighborhood, the City Council agreed to the placement of an 80-foot tall cell monopole at the railroad station on vacant, brush-covered City property immediately adjacent to the MTA parking lot to the east of McCullough Place. The settlement was approved by the United State District Court on November 18, 2020.
The monopole will be a “clean” pole with no visible antenna. It will approach but not exceed the height of the tallest pole now in the vicinity of the station. The monopole location is the same location that figured in an earlier February 2007 settlement between the City and Cingular Wireless. In that settlement, Cingular received permission to build a pole potentially 100 feet tall. It is not known why Cingular did not proceed pursuant to that settlement.
The City Council agreed to the current settlement in order to remove the proposed installation from a residential area and to avoid the expense and risk of continued litigation. The litigation was brought by Verizon to overturn the October 2019 City Council decision that prevented Verizon from installing antennas on Verizon’s own building at 182 Purchase Street, a location immediately proximate to both multifamily and single-family residences and one that did not comply with the City’s required setbacks. The placement of the monopole on municipal property pursuant to the settlement affords protection from provisions of federal law that otherwise might be used to force future expansion of the installation.
