Cheektowaga planning board tables Verizon monopole proposal at 2733 William Street pending public hearing and agency reviews

The Cheektowaga Planning Board tabled a Verizon Wireless proposal to install a 120-foot monopole at 2733 William Street, voting to hold a public hearing and to seek variances for a fence height and setback relief while the town awaits responses from the Thruway Authority and utility owners.

The project representative, Steven Fantuzo of Verizon Wireless, told the board the monopole location was shifted on the site plan "a bit to the north and east," moving it farther from nearby residences. Fantuzo said the nearest dwelling is now about 272 feet from the tower location and that the tower would be 120 feet tall with a 4-foot lightning rod, placing the antenna centerline at about 115 feet. He also said Verizon had removed barbed wire from the compound plans: "We did remove the barbed wire from the plans per this board's comments."

Town staff and board members discussed code nonconformities and agency referrals. "For the planning board, there are two points in nonconformity," said Dan Young, who spoke for the record and identified code issues including a fence height that exceeds the town maximum and setback noncompliance. Young noted the site plan shows a 7-foot fence where the town allows 6 feet and that the monopole placement requires setback relief under the town's telecom regulations in section 255-27.

Board members pressed for additional technical checks before a final recommendation. Staff and the applicant flagged a nearby set of overhead power lines measured at approximately 17 feet from the monopole; Fantuzo said some of those lines appear inactive but that the project will need confirmation from the owners. The board also noted a 24-foot measurement from the site to Interstate 90 and a roughly 28-foot measurement to the rear parcel line shown on the site plan. Fantuzo referenced a structural report included in the submission that discusses a 62-foot "breakpoint" fall radius in the unlikely event of a tower failure.

During discussion, Fantuzo explained site constraints driven by radio-frequency engineering and property availability, saying the selected parcel is one of only a few that meet the search ring for coverage and that other property owners declined. He also explained how Verizon would connect power and fiber via an existing utility pole and underground conduit shown on the plans.

The planning board voted to table the application and to request that the town board call a public hearing. The board made the motion to table "pending a public hearing" and approved it by voice vote; members answered "Aye." Board members asked that the referral process produce comments from the Thruway Authority and the entity that owns or operates the nearby overhead lines (National Grid, NYSEG or the state power authority), and they discussed whether the town board — not the zoning board of appeals — has authority to grant the telecom-specific relief under section 255-27. Staff said the town board must call the public hearing and that, if approved, a public hearing would likely be scheduled for May 13.

The applicant will return with any additional agency responses and the outcome of the town-board public-hearing call. The board did not grant the variances or make a final site-plan decision at the meeting; it formally tabled the item pending the public hearing and the requested agency feedback.