Looks like the long search for a cellular phone tower in Fair Haven is near its end.
The Asbury Park Press reports today that the borough has signed a deal to lease a plot of land from the United Methodist Church on Ridge Road.
There, the town expects to build a money-making tower up to 150 feet tall. Download map and elevation here.
Next step: enticing cellular carriers, including Verizon Wireless, to become tenants on the monopole.
If Verizon gets on board, that would mean the withdrawal of that company’s request to build its own tower on property leased from the Church of the Nativity, just a few hundred feet west of the UMC site, and the end of a longstanding litigation threat.
Mayor Mike Halfacre is confident Verizon will sign on.
From the story:
Halfacre said he expects the cellular carriers will pull the application now that the borough has secured a site.
“I expect them to pull the application, that’s why we’re going to bid,” Halfacre said.
Several times during the hearing process, Verizon and T-Mobile asked for an adjournment or time out on the application when Fair Haven was in active negotiation for other sites.
The land lease is for 30 years, with renewals every five years, the Press reports. The borough will split revenue from carrier antenna placements, with the borough getting roughly 62 percent of the cash flow and the church the rest.
Even though the tower, as a borough facility, is exempt from Planning Board review, the town board has scheduled a “courtesy review” for Aug. 14, the Press reports.
