(Photo by Lauren Thomas)
The New Paltz town zoning board (ZBA) has scheduled a June 10 public hearing regarding a use variance for a proposed cellular tower at 60 Jansen Road. The applicant is Homeland Towers, LLC, along with Verizon Wireless. According to the paperwork available online, the relief requested is to site a tower outside the town’s existing wireless overlay district, which is largely along Route 299.
The applicants have stated at planning board meetings that they are pursuing a use variance to build a tower on Jansen Road because they can’t achieve the coverage they desire from anywhere within the wireless overlay district. Attorney Rick Golden said at the February 24 planning-board meeting that use variances are “almost impossible to get,” because the burden of proof is high.