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Planning board accepts application for Spectrum/Charter fiber hub on Water Plant Road; classifies it as a public‑utility Type‑2 action
Summary
Applicant and contractors described a 1,680‑square‑foot wired fiber‑optic hub with backup power and security fencing at the existing Spectrum site on Water Plant Road. The board determined the project fits the public‑utility minor category (no special‑use permit required) and declared the application complete by unanimous vote.
The Troy Planning Board heard a proposal to site a 1,680‑square‑foot wired fiber‑optic hub on an existing Spectrum/Charter Communications property on Water Plant Road and recorded the application as complete after clarifying its classification as a public‑utility minor (Type‑2) action.
Jim Valentine of Napro Consulting and Pete Yuhas of Lakeshore Construction described the hub as an unmanned utility building that will house data racks, batteries and equipment for cable and Internet services. "This is a fiber optic data hub providing Internet, cable TV transmission," Yuhas said. The facility will be connected via wired fiber; project representatives clarified that it is not a wireless telecommunications facility and therefore does not require a special‑use permit as originally listed on the agenda.
The site plan calls for a single windowless building with a single door, a fenced and locked secure area, a pad for a National Grid transformer located outside the security fence but within 10 feet of a hard service surface, and a 300‑kW diesel generator with factory sound‑damping enclosure. The team said they obtained National Grid engineering approval to increase the existing electrical service from 800 amps to 1,200 amps to meet hub electrical demand.
Project engineering showed about 500 square feet of additional impervious surface and erosion and sediment controls including turf reinforcement matting on steep slopes, a concrete washout area and a stabilized construction entrance. The hub will have a single ADA toilet; routine trash will be handled by the existing on‑site dumpsters at the adjacent facility, the applicant said.
Board members asked about noise from the generator and the outdoor air‑conditioning wall units; the applicant estimated peak generator sound levels in the low 70s decibels and said the units include integral sound‑dampening. The applicant said cooling would be provided by multiple 6‑ton wall‑mounted air‑conditioning units.
Planning staff clarified on the record that the project fits the city's public‑utility minor definition and does not require the special‑use permit listed on the agenda. The board voted unanimously to declare the application complete and scheduled the public hearing for March 18.
No members of the public attended to comment at the meeting.
