The Huntington Town Board, at its May 16 meeting, approved the first comprehensive revisions to the cell phone section of the Town Code since it was enacted in 1998.

            The changes, which are effective June 1, establish new procedures and criteria for the Town's Zoning Board of Appeals in considering applications for special use permits allowing construction of cell phone towers in the Town.  

            "So much has happened since the Town first enacted its regulations for cell phone towers, both technologically and in the proliferation of these towers to meet increasing demand, that the Town needed to revisit our Code to ensure that we are protecting the health and safety of our residents," Supervisor Frank P. Petrone said. "We believe the new Code achieves those goals."

            Said Councilwoman Glenda Jackson, sponsor of the measure, "The changes take note of scientific findings since this part of the Town Code was enacted 13 years go and address community concerns."

            The new Code:

·        Increases scrutiny of applications for special use permits to ensure compliance with federal standards. To determine that the a tower is necessary at a specific location, applicants are also required to reimburse the Town for the cost of independent qualified consultants to review the application and studies submitted in support.

·        Increases the oversight on aesthetic issues by requiring planning board review of landscaping and site plans before a building permit application is filed for cell towers or antennas. The legislation empowers the ZBA to require that aesthetically pleasing structures be built to house the antennas and to limit the height of new facilities for aesthetic reasons.

·        Establishes tiered preferences for locating new facilities, with ones on existing structures in commercial/ industrial zones having the greatest preference and ones within 500 feet of a school carrying the least preference.

·        Requires pre-application conferences and provides for continuing inspections to determine compliance with the provisions of a special use permit.

·        Requires all applications for new facilities on Town-owned, leased or controlled property to undergo a review by the Town Board, which would hold a public hearing and apply the same standards used by the Zoning Board of Appeals in granting special use permits for facilities on private property.

In other action, the Town Board:

            -- appointed and reappointed members of the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Huntington Housong Authority to fill vacancies. The Planning Board appointments are: Paul Mandelik, David Pennetta, David Walsdorf, Kathleen A. Casey, Marilyn G. Healy and Leslie Cernava. The ZBA appointments are: Christopher Modelewski, Robert Slingo, Carol Gaughran, Jeffrey Naness and Edward Perez. The Housing Authority appointees are Robert Fonti, John Perri, Barry Lites and Barry Turk.