Because of an attorney’s desire to attend a wine tasting this week, the public hearing regarding a proposed cell tower in Leonard was postponed until Thursday, Nov. 20.
Originally, the village planning commission was scheduled to conduct an Oct. 23 hearing to determine what residents thought of Verizon Wireless? plans to construct a 195-foot cell tower (or monopole) on a 4-acre parcel zoned limited industrial and bordering Leonard Elementary’s east side.
‘There’s coverage there, but Verizon Wireless feels it needs to be better,? said Michelle Gilbert, a spokesperson for Verizon Wireless. ‘It’s a rural area and people are using their phones more. In some areas, we’ve got great coverage. In other areas, we still need to build more cell sites and so we’re taking care of that in Leonard.?
But the public’s chance to weigh-in on this proposed tower will have to wait until the social calendar clears.
Jonathan R. Crane, the Rochester-based attorney representing the wireless carrier, suggested the public hearing ? which had already been advertised in both the Leader and via 24 letters mailed out to surrounding property owners ? be scrapped because the Friends of the Addison Township Public Library is hosting its annual wine tasting that same evening.
Given this event is ‘the social highlight of Leonard and the surrounding communities,? Crane stated, in an Oct. 7 e-mail to the village attorney, the hearing’s ‘scheduling represents poor planning.?
‘We won’t have a quorum (of planning commissioners) and I won’t be able to attend due to a commitment to attend the wine tasting,? Crane wrote. ‘So we can either reschedule, have the meeting earlier in the afternoon before the wine tasting, or have the meeting at the wine tasting, whatever you decide. I don’t think it would be prudent to hold the meeting after the wine tasting.?
Phyllis Roe, who chairs the village planning commission, said it’s not true that a quorum wouldn’t have been available for this week’s meeting.
‘I made sure we’d have a quorum that night before I scheduled the public hearing,? she said. ‘The only one who couldn’t make it was this attorney.?
Although no public hearing will be conducted, Roe said the planning commission will still meet as scheduled 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 23 to review the cell tower site plan and the village attorney’s opinion regarding it.
Residents are more than welcome to attend this meeting.
As it stands right now, the site plan for the proposed cell tower failed to meet six required provisions in the village zoning ordinance including tower setback, tower height and lot size, and would require six different
variances, according to a Sept. 25 letter written by Lisa Hamameh, an attorney with the village’s law firm, the Bloomfield Hills-based Adkison, Need & Allen.
With regard to tower height, according to the village ordinance and Hamameh’s letter, the tower could be no taller than 50 feet based on its proposed location, so a 145-foot variance would be required.
Also, telecommunications towers must be located on parcels with a minimum of 10 acres.
Owned by outgoing township Supervisor Bob Koski, the property Verizon Wireless wishes to build on is 4.04 acres, so a 5.96-acre variance would be needed, according to Hamameh.
Crane countered Hamameh’s assessment of the site plan in an Oct. 7 letter. He said her analysis of the variance needed to meet the tower height was incorrect. Verizon maintains it could build a 150-foot tower, according to the village ordinance, and then seek a 45-foot variance.
With regard to the lot size on which the proposed tower would sit, Crane argued there are no other 10-acre industrial-zoned parcels in the village on which to build a cell tower.
Although Adkison, Need & Allen recommended denial of the site plan, Verizon Wireless can go to the Zoning Board of Appeals to request the necessary variances regarding tower height and lot size.
Because it only has a population of about 330 people, Leonard’s village council doubles as the town’s ZBA.
The other issues could be addressed by the planning commission, according to Hamameh.
Last year, Verizon Wireless approached Leonard and Addison Township about building a cell tower on Fire Station #1’s property located just inside the village limits at 4026 Forest St.
However, that plan was nixed ‘based on (negative) feedback from residents.?
Gilbert said whenever a potential location falls through, ‘we look for other opportunities.?
Koski’s property presented such an opportunity.
‘It’s very common to build on private property,? Gilbert said. ‘We look for the best location to meet our customers need, whether it’s on private property or public property.?
Given its close proximity to Leonard Elementary, Oxford Superintendent Dr. William Skilling wrote an Oct. 1 letter to the village council requesting the proposed tower be denied.
‘The obtrusiveness of a telecommunications tower next to the school is also a concern,? he wrote.
In addition to the proposed tower, Skilling expressed his concern to the council about the ‘abandoned cars? parked on Koski’s property.
‘We have received reports of rats and raccoons in and around these cars,? he wrote. ‘This is a safety concern for our students as well as the community.?
Because it abuts a school, the superintendent also made an issue of the Koski property’s lack of ‘protective screening? as required by village ordinance.
‘The deteriorating appearance is having a negative impact on our school,? Skilling wrote.