Letter: Proposed Westport Point cell tower would be hard to miss

Posted 3/10/21

To the editor,

The Westport Zoning Board of Appeals has received an application to install a 150 foot cell tower at the corner of Drift Road and Route 88 in the Westport Point neighborhood and …

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Letter: Proposed Westport Point cell tower would be hard to miss

Posted

To the editor,

The Westport Zoning Board of Appeals has received an application to install a 150 foot cell tower at the corner of Drift Road and Route 88 in the Westport Point neighborhood and immediately adjacent to the Westport Historic District. 

The applicants state that “The facility meets with all applicable requirements of the Bylaw to the extent possible. The Facility will not adversely impact adjacent properties and neighborhoods as the Facility is screened from view. The location of the Facility will protect, to the extent practicable, the aesthetic qualities of the Town of Westport by utilizing a parcel of land that is especially suited to the proposed use and will minimize impacts to the interests protected by the Bylaw.”

I submit the following three pictures with approximate images of the proposed cell tower added to them to illustrate that the proposed cell tower will in fact have significant impacts on the adjacent neighborhood and the Historic District and will not by any means be screened from view. 

The proponents claim that this is the only suitable location in this part of Westport and is needed to provide adequate service in this area. Local residents could undoubtedly suggest many other sites in this area and styles of towers that would be more appropriate and less offensive to public view. 

The existing cell tower at Tripps Marina has provided good service for local T-Mobile customers for many years and blends well into the local landscape as indicated by the last image below. For much of the year this tower is largely indistinguishable from the many sailboat masts nearby.

David C. Cole

Westport

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