No Cell Tower on Summit-Springfield Border

Summit residents who packed into Springfield’s Town Hall meeting room on Wednesday night burst into applause after Springfield’s Board of Adjustment voted 5-4 against allowing cell carrier T-Mobile to build a .

Board members who opposed the tower expressed doubts about the need for a tower in its proposed location and whether T-Mobile adequately explored other locations. Board members who supported the tower said that the T-Mobile team did everything asked of them in the proceedings and noted that cell phones and cell towers are growing increasingly ubiquitous.

Prior to the vote, T-Mobile brought in a final witness, real estate appraiser Mark Tinder, to argue that cell phone towers have minimal impact on property values. Tinder pointed to two studies showing of homes near cell towers in Randolph and Franklin sold at prices in the same range as comparable homes lacking cell towers.

“Nearby [cell towers] had no impact on the price of the homes or on the homes’ ability to be sold on the market at that time,” Tinder said in his testimony.

T-Mobile attorney Constantine Stamos argued in his conclusion that the cell tower would promote the general welfare of the area by improving telecommunications. He said that Tinder’s testimony showed there would be minimal impact to property values and questioned the expertise of the real estate agent who had previously testified on behalf of the tower opponents.

The assertions were met with doubt in the Board members comments. Board members argued that improved telecommunications were not necessarily the boon to the area that Stamos presented. One board member said he believed the area that would receive improved telecommunications with the new tower was insignificant.

Another board member, who voted in favor of the tower, dismissed the concerns as an “eloquent tirade of lots of opinions and assumptions,” and praised T-Mobile for being responsive to the board’s requests.

Board of Adjustments Chair Margaret Bandrowski noted that at 175 feet, the tower was as high as a seven-story building and said she believed there was conflicting testimony about gaps in coverage.

Following the vote, Summit residents and officials in attendance expressed relief.

“I am very elated,” Summit resident John Li said. “The board was objective and fair. They came to the right conclusion. I applaud them.”

Summit City Council member Michael Vernotico said he was delighted by the verdict. Vernotico, who has attended and spoken passionately against the tower, said he was not sure when the hearings began how the vote would go, but grew more confident that the board would vote against the tower following the June meeting.

“I think these people should be proud of what they’ve done,” Vernotico said. “They worked very hard on this. They influenced the board’s decision.”