Verizon asked the Saratoga Springs Design Review Board on Oct. 29 to approve a replacement utility pole and cellular antenna adjacent to 144 Spring St., but the board elected to table the application after extended public comment and internal debate over the board’s authority to consider location versus design.

Julia Monahan, regional counsel for Verizon Wireless, told the board the replacement pole would be 38.5 feet tall with an antenna shroud bringing total height to about 41.5 feet and an equipment enclosure at the base to house electrical gear. She said the installation is intended to fill a local coverage gap and that the equipment shroud design typically uses vents rather than fans.

Neighbors said the pole would stand just feet from the front of their house and in front of multiple bedroom windows. Eric Tepper, who identified himself as a resident of 144 Spring St., urged the board to reject the site: “We very much urge you to reject this proposal. This is just a few feet from the front of our house. Its location is outside our bedroom, which has four windows.” Tepper and other residents also raised concerns about noise from equipment enclosures, visual impacts in the historic district, and possible health effects.

Board members questioned whether the design review board’s purview covers pole siting or only appearance, with some members noting prior guidance in the UDO about telecommunications facilities in historic overlays. Several members sympathized with neighbors but also noted the board’s role is primarily aesthetic. Given unresolved questions about siting, alternatives (corner poles or nonresidential rooftops), and neighborhood objections, the board’s chair suggested tabling the item to allow Verizon and neighbors to negotiate and for staff to research the UDO’s applicable authority. The applicant agreed to return and the board took no vote on the application that evening.

What’s next: Staff said they will review the UDO provisions and the applicant said it would meet with neighbors; the item will return to the board for further consideration.