T-Mobile Cell Tower Postponed Again

The T-Mobile cell tower in Short Hills was back on the Zoning Board of Adjustment agenda Monday night, but representatives for the company did not show up and told the board’s attorney that they need

Having been already granted one extension, the matter of T-Mobile’s 130-foot cell tower has been up in the air since when representatives met with the zoning board and were asked to conduct a balloon test before they came back before the board.

The company had suggested a crane test instead and the board agreed to that, but no date has been set for the test. The test needs to be done when there are no leaves on the trees in order for officials and residents to see what it looks like and how far away it can be seen.

Zoning Board Chairman Joseph Steinberg directed the Gail Fraser, the board’s attorney, to send a letter to T-Mobile counsel letting the company know that T-Mobile needs to send a letter and a seek an extension, and it will be postponed to Mar. 5; if not, the issue will be “dismissed without prejudice.”

If T-Mobile requests the extension in writing, the matter will be put off until Mar. 5.

“After that, it will be off the agenda, and they would have to reapply,” he said.

The tower has been controversial since it was first proposed more than a year ago.

, the board heard from T-Mobile witnesses that the 130-foot cell tower meets FCC regulations and is now proposed for a site that is further away from the Glenwood School and neighborhood than previously proposed.

The cell phone giant is seeking three variances from the board to build the cell tower in the far corner of the parking lot of 830 Morris Turnpike, an office building next to Benihana and behind the Short Hills Terrace apartments.

Residents worry that the tower is still proposed too close to a residential neighborhood and Glenwood School in Short Hills.

A radio frequency engineer told the board that under “worst-case” conditions - using the maximum number of channels and all users on 100 percent of the time - the amount of radio frequency energy emitted is still well below the FCC regulations, T-Mobile officials say.

The highest levels of energy from the tower extend about 900 feet, witnesses have said. The levels closer than that are lower, as are the levels farther than that.

One resident asked how far Glenwood School is from the tower and he said on Google maps, it appeared to be 1,000 feet to the nearest end of the school’s ball field and 1,300 feet to the school.

The monopole would have nine antennas, which would make the tower reach 133 feet high and is currently proposed with T-Mobile as the sole carrier.

At the August hearing, the board asked to get more information on what would happen if other cell phone service providers decided to "co-locate" on the tower.

T-Mobile has not been back to present that information or do the crane test. If T-Mobile seeks an extensioin until March, officials will want them to do the crane test in March before the leaves return to the treets.