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Planning Board approves special permit for cell tower at 97 Old State Road
Summary
At its March 31 meeting the Chester Planning Board approved a special permit for a cell tower at 97 Old State Road that will reduce the number of transmitters from 15 to 6; the board asked staff to review bylaw reporting requirements and noted annual EMF reports are required in operating agreements.
At its March 31, 2026 meeting the Town of Chester Planning Board voted to approve a special permit for the cell tower at 97 Old State Road, a change the board said would reduce the tower’s transmitters from 15 to 6. The vote was taken after Chair Liz Massa reviewed the application and the board discussed outstanding technical reports.
The board noted that "this Cell Tower will be reducing from 15 transmitters to 6 transmitters," and members raised the status of requested EMF/RFE reports, which the minutes say are required within operating agreements. Nick Chiusano moved to approve the special permit; Bob Daley seconded, and the motion passed with all aye votes.
Board members recommended a review of the town’s bylaw language to clarify reporting requirements for cell-tower operators and to ensure annual electromagnetic field (EMF) reporting is enforced per operating agreements. The minutes say the annual EMF reports are required within operating agreements but do not record whether the reports were on file for this site at the time of the vote.
The approval was recorded as a formal motion by the planning board; no individual roll-call votes were recorded in the minutes, only the notation that the motion carried with all aye votes. The board moved on to zoning bylaw items after the vote.
