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Falmouth Zoning Board OKs 120-foot monopole at North Falmouth church after lengthy hearing
Summary
The Zoning Board of Appeals granted a special permit to Vertex Towers LLC to build a 120-foot monopole at a Catholic Church property near Old Silver Beach, approving conditions including a removal bond, environmental protections and periodic bond review.
The Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday approved a special permit for Vertex Towers LLC to build a 120-foot monopole telecommunications tower on church-owned land off Quaker Road in North Falmouth.
Attorney Francis Parisi, representing Vertex Towers, told the board the proposed monopole would be sited in the rear of a 10-acre parcel owned by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Fall River and would be built inside a fenced compound measuring roughly 48 by 58 feet. He said Verizon is the anchor tenant and would mount antennas at a centerline of about 115 feet.
Parisi said the company referred the project to the Cape Cod Commission as required, received a positive regional decision after multiple reviews, and provided FAA and radio-frequency engineering reports, visibility simulations and a site plan as part of the application package.
Neighbors raised objections at the public hearing, citing visual impacts, property-value concerns and health worries. Local residents who live near the proposed site said the tower would be visible from yards, from walkways near the cranberry bogs and, in some photos submitted by the applicant, from the Old Silver Beach parking area roughly a half-mile away.
Board members questioned the applicant about the balloon visibility tests, the timing of the photos (June and October), whether photographs under leaf-off conditions had been taken, the fall zone and structural safety, and the availability of alternatives including small cells or sites on the east side of Route 28. Parisi said the company had examined many potential locations, concluded that wetlands and conservation restrictions eliminated many parcels, and that Cape Cod Commission and independent consultants had reviewed drive-test coverage data to justify the site.
After public comment and board discussion, the board moved to approve the special permit with conditions. Conditions discussed and recorded in the hearing record include: authorization limited to the plans on file; construction hours limits; a removal bond (described by the board as a “removal” or decommissioning bond) to be set by estimate and reviewed periodically; Osprey protection measures during nesting season; compliance with Cape Cod Commission and federal requirements (including FAA); and coordination with the building commissioner on fall-zone and foundation design and any required building permits. The applicant agreed the bond would be reviewed every five years for adequacy.
The board recorded approval by voice vote; the motion passed with members saying “aye” and no members recording opposition.
The board’s approval means Vertex Towers may next seek building permits and finalize engineering details required by the town and state. The board’s file includes the Cape Cod Commission decision, FAA analysis submitted by the applicant, visibility simulations and written public comments.
