Planning Board Approves Raising 1 Component Park Cell Tower to 130 Feet

WEST BRIDGEWATER — August 20, 2025 — West Bridgewater Planning Board approves raising a flagpole-style cell tower at 1 Component Park from 120 to 130 feet. The board voted 4-0 on final passage Wednesday to approve the special permit modification, site plan, and amended conditions under Town Clerk File Number 169, clearing the way for Verizon Wireless to add antenna equipment to the existing structure in the Industrial District. Luis Celara of SBA Monarch Towers LLC told the board the project qualifies as a federal Section 6409 eligible facility request and that both the FAA and a structural analysis have already signed off on the extension. Abutter Eleanor Keating of 44 Commonwealth Avenue raised fall-zone concerns, but board Chair James Hurley read from the 2021 site plan showing 143.7 feet of setback to the nearest property line — more than the 130-foot minimum required under the amended conditions. Member Bornstein dissented on the first finding, questioning whether the original 120-foot limit had been a commitment to neighbors, before voting with the full board on remaining motions after colleagues clarified the town's zoning bylaw permits towers up to 180 feet. The board added a condition requiring the applicant to verify whether a decommissioning bond from the original approval remains in force, with a new bond required if it has lapsed.