BRIDGEPORT — Plans to build a cellphone tower on Archer Avenue can move forward now that the city has approved the plan that drew opposition from some neighbors.
The city's Zoning Board of Appeals approved a zoning variance Friday that makes way for a 100-foot-tall cellphone tower to be built at 2601 S. Archer Ave. At issue was the need for the tower to be built 5 feet from the street instead of the mandated 20 feet so that the tower does not interfere with the neighboring building's foundation, according to officials.
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T-Mobile will construct the tower that will allow for better reception and data usage for neighborhood smart phone users, but some neighbors are not on board. As many as 40 Bridgeport residents showed to the zoning board meeting Friday to voice their opposition.
At a previous community meeting on the topic, neighbors said the cellphone tower would not help the aesthetics of Archer Avenue and could hinder future development of the area. Supporters, however, said cellphone towers exist throughout the city and on many buildings frequented by the public, including schools and stadiums.
The tower will be built on the property of the Standard Companies and was originally slated to be built on top of the company's building. But structural issues meant the tower had to go closer to the street, hence the variance request. The request said the tower will be located "within a partially enclosed building."
