Hempstead Board Expected to Adopt New Cell Tower Regulations

The Hempstead Town Board will hold a public hearing Tuesday morning on new cell tower regulations meant in part to keep the wireless equipment away from homes and schools. 

The new ordinance, which is expected to be approved by the board at the 10:30 a.m. meeting, comes as residents throughout the town have been slamming wireless company proposals to install cell antennas at churches, libraries and firehouses.

One feature of the new ordinance would disallow cell towers or antennas within 1,500 feet of homes, houses of worship, day care centers and schools, unless the telecommunications provider can prove the need for such a facility in that location.

The legislation would also require wireless companies to provide documentation that proves the need for a tower or antennae, such as service gaps in the area, and present a checklist to determine whether existing cell phone sites could accommodate additional equipment.

"Our proposal pushes the wireless communications industry to locate equipment at sites that minimize the negative aspects to our local communities," Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray said during a press conference last month announcing the new law. "We are really putting the telecommunications industry to the strictest test."

The law would impact all future cell tower applications in the Town of Hempstead as well as existing proposals scheduled to go before the BZA. This includes T-Mobile's proposal to install six antennas for cell towers on the roof of the Farmingdale-Wantagh Jewish Center, which is scheduled to go before the Hempstead BZA on Oct. 7.

At a community meeting at Wantagh High School last month, Charles Kovit, the town's senior deputy attorney, told residents that they shouldn't be optimistic about the town's ability to get existing cell antennas taken down or relocated. 

But last week, in an interview with News 12, Kovit said that none of the cell antennas put up around town over the last year by NextG Networks would be grandfathered into the new ordinance. 

"Either we are going to have fruitful negotiations with them [NextG] to move the towers that are most objectionable or we are going to assert our position in court," Kovit said.