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Freedom board conditionally approves Vertex Towers site plan for 154‑foot monopole with strict conditions
Summary
The Freedom Planning Board granted conditional site‑plan approval May 15 for a 150‑foot monopole (154 feet to tip) on Eaton Road, approving a waiver for full‑site contours and attaching conditions including a $30,515.25 security bond, carrier lease before building permit and limits on lighting and generator testing.
The Freedom Planning Board on May 15 gave conditional approval to Vertex Towers LLC for a wireless telecommunications facility on Eaton Road, clearing the project to move forward after the company meets several technical conditions.
The board approved the company’s request for a monopole tower with a 150‑foot main height (154 feet to the top of the lightning rod) inside a 40‑by‑60‑foot fenced compound, subject to final plan changes requested by the board and a list of conditions read into the record. Francis Gorbici, representing the applicant, told the board the proposal responds to regional coverage needs and asked the board to approve the site plan so the project can proceed.
The approval included a waiver for checklist item 12 (five‑foot contour intervals for the entire parcel), a common waiver the board grants when the immediate development area is adequately shown. The board found the application conditionally complete on the record, requiring the applicant to show items 5, 6, 7, 9 and 13 on the final plan and to submit a final, complete plan within 90 days.
Board members and the Lakes Region Planning Commission had flagged erosion‑control and wetlands proximity concerns; the board asked the applicant to amend plans to show the full extent of proposed silt control and to consider silt socks on steeper slopes. The board also required a plan for tower removal and confirmed that wetlands must not be adversely impacted.
Conditions attached to approval included provision of a security bond in the amount of $30,515.25; submission of all required federal, state and local permits before construction; and, prior to a building permit, a fully executed lease agreement with at least one cell carrier and an updated carrier coverage map. The board limited the number of carriers to four and allowed only minimal lighting at the equipment shelter. The board also limited backup generators to one per carrier (maximum four), required double‑wall fuel tanks, and restricted generator testing to no more than twice a month on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The board added a plan note specifying silt socks (rather than only silt fence) where erosion risk is higher.
“My client believes the application addresses the technical comments and can provide the minor plan revisions the board requested,” Francis Gorbici said. Chair Linda Mailhot read the conditions into the record and clarified procedural expectations for the 90‑day conditional completeness period.
The applicant may return to the board with the revised final plan; the chair or her designee will confirm whether the conditions of completeness have been met before issuing a final approval. The planning board also noted that if the applicant fails to supply the required information or misses the agreed timeline, the approvals and waivers could be revisited.
