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Attorney describes proposed 150-foot telecom monopole on Route 117; town attorneys and board weigh permitting questions
Summary
Attorney Elizabeth Thompson briefed the Franconia Select Board on Blue Sky Towers’ plan for a roughly 150-foot monopole on Route 117 (Map 216, Lot 4), noting a Verizon agreement and potential AT&T and T-Mobile interest, while the board sought clarity on whether special exception, variance or Planning Board site-plan review applies and on stormwater and access details.
Attorney Elizabeth Thompson met with the Franconia Select Board on Feb. 10, 2025 to outline a proposal from Blue Sky Towers for a monopole telecommunications tower on Route 117 on property listed as Map 216, Lot 4, owned by the Presby Family Irrevocable Trust.
Thompson said the company is initially targeting about 150 feet in height, has an agreement with Verizon Wireless and expects AT&T and T-Mobile may be options later. She described a 100-by-100-foot tower compound with a small equipment cabinet and said access would be across Salmon Hole Brook via a 72-inch culvert. "Currently they are looking at 150' but will know more after surveys, flying a balloon etc.," Thompson said. She added that the company meets federal health and safety requirements.
The board asked procedural questions about local permitting: whether the town’s land-use process requires only a special exception or a variance for the height, whether Planning Board site-plan review would be required and what order applications should follow. Thompson told the board that if RSA 12-K applies, regional communities within 20 miles (she cited Lisbon as an example) would receive notice under that statute.
Board members also pressed whether the tower plans provide sufficient stormwater design detail or whether a separate stormwater plan will be required, given the steep access road and the nearby brook. Thompson said Blue Sky is coordinating surveys and environmental assessments and will return with clarified plans. Select Board members did not take a formal vote during the meeting.
What happens next: Town counsel and staff will clarify the applicable zoning and site-plan review requirements and advise on application steps and public-notice obligations. The Select Board asked Jennifer Gaudette to follow up with the town attorney and report back to the board.
