Cumberland planning board approves 140-foot Verizon tower at 14 Tuttle Road subject to nine conditions

The Cumberland Planning Board voted to approve a site plan for a 140-foot telecommunications monopole at 14 Tuttle Road on Aug. 19, subject to standard conditions and nine project-specific conditions, after hearing technical presentations and public comment. The applicant team represented Verizon Wireless and tower owner Vertical Bridge; the town will also place public-safety communications equipment on the structure.

Why it matters: The board and applicants said the tower will fill gaps in radio coverage in the Foreside/Route 1 corridor that affect both public-safety radios and cellular customers. The project was considered a permitted use under the town Public Safety Telecommunications Overlay (PSTO) after the council rezoned the parcel earlier this summer.

Verizon and its consultants presented propagation maps, a visual-impact (viewshed) analysis and an RF exposure report. The applicant team said modeled 4G/LTE coverage would extend roughly a half-mile to three-quarters of a mile in several directions from the site and that the calculated maximum radio frequency (RF) exposure for Verizon equipment alone is 9.14 percent of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) maximum permissible exposure.

Technical and policy points discussed - RF exposure: A representative from C Squared Systems said the 9.14 percent figure applies to Verizon

equipment alone and does not include future colocating carriers; he explained that multiple operators can increase cumulative exposure but that, based on experience, cumulative totals commonly remain well under FCC limits. Board members and members of the public asked whether FCC limits set in the late 1990s remain appropriate for modern technologies; the applicant and technical witnesses said the FCC rules cited in the application remain the federal standard and apply regardless of 2G/3G/4G/5G nomenclature. - Fall zone and setbacks: Under the PSTO, the ordinance provides for a 0.75-times-height (75 percent) setback from property lines rather than a full 100 percent setback; the applicant said the lease and current site layout keep the structure well inside that limit and that the tower would not fall onto Foreside Road or nearby carriage roads as configured. - Visual impacts: The applicant presented a balloon-test-based viewshed analysis with photos from public roads (including Carriage and Middle roads and Foreside Road) showing the proposed monopole

in tree canopy and how a galvanized-gray finish and placement in the center of a 20.7-acre wooded lot would limit visibility from many vantage points. - Access and site security: The plan shows a new 12-foot gravel access drive, a 40-by-60-foot fenced compound and underground utilities served from an existing pole; Verizon representatives said the driveway was designed to align with potential future church plans, and that a security gate is typically installed at tower drives but that no gate is shown now because the driveway may later serve the church parking lot.

Public concerns and board discussion Members of the public asked about cumulative RF exposure once other carriers colocate, the currency of FCC technical limits, the exact location of the modeled maximum-exposure point (the applicant estimated it will fall roughly 680 feet from the tower center), fall-zone effects on church parking, and whether wetlands exist in the lease area. A C. B. and Maher engineer present said that no wetlands were identified within the project footprint. Another commenter questioned whether the town peer reviewer had a conflict because the same firm had provided work for the church; town staff said the firm was engaged specifically for this review and an independent evaluation was provided.

Board action The board approved a suite of waivers (boundary survey, wetland delineation conditionally, landscape plan, stormwater plan conditionally, well locations note, high-intensity soil survey, hydrogeologic evaluation and traffic study) and then adopted findings of fact and conditions of approval. The nine conditions include submission of the MDOT entrance permit prior to preconstruction, a geotechnical report, NEPA review confirming no historic/archaeological resources, final structural plans, stormwater verification per ordinance sections, required erosion controls and flagged clearing limits, and provision of a lease-area boundary before preconstruction. The approval was made with the expiration period provided in the Cumberland Code of Ordinances (section 2-29-11) and other standard requirements.

What the approval does and does not do The approval allows the applicant to proceed toward state and federal reviews and to complete local preconstruction conditions; it does not itself authorize construction until the applicant satisfies the listed preconstruction and regulatory conditions. The RF report in the file addresses Verizon equipment only; future antennas by other carriers will require separate filings and must meet applicable safety standards, and alterations to antennas will be reviewed under the town process.

Next steps The applicant will submit the requested preconstruction documents to town staff for review and must obtain NEPA clearance and any required state and federal approvals. The town will monitor the listed conditions prior to issuing preconstruction authorization.

Sources: Planning board hearing Aug. 19 transcript and presentation materials provided to the board; town staff and applicant statements at the Aug. 19 meeting.