The town’s highest elected official said Monday that the cell tower proposed for northwestern New Canaan could be built in the first half of 2022.
Planned for a wooded hill at Ponus Ridge and Dan’s Highway, the proposed cell tower application likely will go through an “accelerated process” because the state agency that fields such applications hasn’t been busy, according to First Selectman Kevin Moynihan.
“They are doing engineering work now and planning and then it will be packaged together to go to the Siting Council, my guess is by midsummer,” Moynihan said during a regular meeting of the Selectmen’s Advisory Committee on Buildings and Infrastructure, held via videoconference.
“It took six months for Soundview Lane to get to the Siting Council but that was delayed because of the start of COVID, but I think probably a three-month process for the Siting Council. So I would hope we will have approval by by the end of the year and then construction in the first half of ’22.”
He spoke during a portion of the meeting dedicated to projects in New Canaan and in response to a question from committee member Stuart Sawabini regarding the status of the planned tower. It is to serve both public safety agencies as well as commercial carriers and consumers.
“That would be a home run if that comes through,” Sawabini said in response to the projected timeline that Moynihan sketched out.
New Canaan for years has tried to figure out how to improve cell service in areas such as the town’s northeastern and northwestern quadrants. The state in September approved a plan for a cell tower on Soundview Lane in northeastern New Canaan, and construction is underway.
Moynihan began talking two years ago about installing a 110-foot-high cell tower near the reservoir in order to improve service in northwestern New Canaan.
Last month, Homeland Towers conducted a “balloon float” test for the proposed tower on Ponus Ridge, opposite Laurel Reservoir.
Moynihan reiterated Monday that carriers have been “surprisingly interested in New Canaan or perhaps just the suburbs in general right now.”
“It’s very encouraging to have the carriers—not just a single carrier, but multiple carriers—interested in increasing service in New Canaan,” he said.
Moynihan added that “we will probably be coming with further news in the next month or two about other locations in town.”
Before littering the town with additional cell towers, it would be wise to assess coverage provided by the towers already in process.
Certainly, I hope that one of the “other locations in town” that our first selectman has up his sleeve is not West School. I was under the impression that the town decided against the ill conceived idea of installing a transmitter tower there. Troublingly, however, the website for Homeland Towers lists that as one of that company’s “locations.” Here is a link: https://homelandtowers.us/locations/
As someone who has felt trapped in the 1990s since moving to New Canaan, this is the most fantastic news. On behalf of every lost Uber driver, food delivery service, the Fire Department and anyone trying to make a call or use the internet during a blackout – thank you!
Cell towers in Northeastern and Northwestern New Canaan have been discussed for at least 20 years and is it a sign of progress and political will that the Town government has gotten squarely behind these projects and are pushing for completion. This is a great step forward for New Canaan.