Examples exist of towers built too tall, too close to homes, with too many antennas — even at the wrong address!
AND THIS MESS WAS CREATED BEFORE THE 2022 LEGISLATION WAS PASSED!
Some examples are:
- Travilah Rd, North Potomac: about 37 feet from home
- 11th Ave, Silver Spring: about 40 feet from the home
- MacArthur Blvd, Potomac: installed without a hearing
- Norbeck Rd, Silver Spring: installed without a hearing
- Arliss St, Silver Spring: exceeded approved height
- Dufief Mill Rd, North Potomac: exceeded approved height
- Brickyard Rd, Potomac: installed at the wrong location.
- Oaklyn Dr, Potomac: installed at the wrong location
- Belfast Pl, Potomac: installed at the wrong location
- Merrimac Drive: Utility poles on Merrimac Drive improperly expanded BEFORE Tower Committee decision on proposed wireless facility. (See also: blog post.)
Montgomery County has a history of lax reviews. Rick Meyer of the Montgomery County Coalition for the Control of Cell Towers (MC4T) has worked for years with a team of residents evaluating the County’s oversight process for cell tower permitting. They found dozens of applications with errors and numerous examples of towers built too tall, too close to homes, with too many antennas in violation of their permit. Some “small” cells were even built at the wrong address!
Montgomery County’s Broken Process for Review and Oversight of Cell Towers and What You Need to Know About ZTA 19-07 with Rick Meyer of the Montgomery County Coalition for the Control of Cell Towers (MC4T.org). Webinar was held and recorded Thursday, May 6, 2021.
Youtube video of Rick Meyer’s previous testimony to MoCo Council.
The Committee meets monthly, with industry reps in attendance and actively participating, to review and make recommendations on all applications. Although meetings are open to the public, there is no way for the public to actively participate in Tower Committee meetings. Telecom reps are permitted to speak; residents are not! Despite residents’ repeated requests, the recordings of the meetings are not made and archived. When residents have sought to record the meetings themselves, the Tower Committee chair has threatened them with criminal penalties.