A.B. cell tower proposal withdrawn

Atlantic Beach residents who were concerned about plans for a massive cell tower in their community were no doubt relieved last Friday when T-Mobile Northeast LLC decided to drop its application for the proposed 53-foot communications structure, which would have been erected in the middle of the seaside village.

Atlantic Beach officials received a fax at 1:29 p.m. on Dec. 4 from T-Mobile attorney Gregory Alvarez announcing that the company was dropping the application, and village officials cheered the move. "We stand willingly ready to treat any cell tower application in a serious and vigilant manner," said village attorney Charles S. Kovit moments after hearing the news.

T-Mobile was scheduled to present its application to construct the cell tower on Beech Street to the Atlantic Beach Board of Zoning Appeals on Nov. 19, but the wireless provider requested that the hearing be postponed. T-Mobile had contracted with the Greater Atlantic Beach Water Reclamation District to lease a parcel of land in November 2008, and was awaiting approval by the BZA. The water district superintendent, Alex Michaelis, referred all questions to the agency's chairman, Scott Mason, who did not return a call requesting comment.

Alvarez referred questions to T-Mobile representatives, who also failed to respond to a call from the Herald.

Had T-Mobile’s application been approved, it would have built the cell tower on the north side of Beech Street, between Vernon Avenue and Yates Avenue, property owned by the water district. The tower would have consisted of steeples, poles, telecommunication and public-utility structures. The permit application also included accessory uses and fences.

"I'm very happy for the residents that the issue has been resolved and that we avoided a long and costly legal battle," said Atlantic Beach Mayor Stephen Mahler. "[The plan] didn't make a lot of sense."

The proposed tower faced opposition from many in the village, with more than 100 residents turning out at a Nov. 10 water district meeting.

"I don't think [a cell tower] belongs in Atlantic Beach," said resident Richard Lonschein. "It would have changed the character of the neighborhood, and we don't want to do that."