Say No to a Cell Tower on the Front Street Floodplain
We, the undersigned residents of Milton, Delaware, call upon Mayor Kanakos and members of the Milton Town Council to stop all action and activity directed toward the construction of a cell phone tower on Front Street. We agree that the town needs improved cell phone service and we support legal, reasonable and creative efforts to make that happen. However, the Front Street location is not the place to build a cell phone tower for many legal, ethical and common sense reasons:
- Milton Town Code 125-20-A expressly forbids the construction of public utilities in a flood plain. The construction of a cell phone tower in a floodplain is AGAINST THE LAW.
- The proposed site is within a designated floodway. According to Town Code 125-30, “no encroachments, including fill, new construction, substantial improvements, or other development shall be permitted” in a floodway “unless it has been demonstrated through hydrologic and hydraulic engineering analysis that the proposed encroachment would not result in any increase in flood levels within the community during the occurrence of the base flood discharge.” Cellco Partners/Verizon have not conducted hydrologic and hydraulic analyses and have not proven that construction of the tower would not result in increased flood levels in the nearby community.
- Town Code 125-29-E demands that electrical service and mechanical equipment in the floodplain must be “elevated to or above the level of the base flood elevation plus 1.5 feet.” This means that the transformers that normally sit at ground level would have to be elevated several feet in the air if the cell tower were approved for the Front Street location. This would violate the town code that prohibits “the intrusion of any use which is not compatible with this predominant type.”
- Construction of a cell tower and footings in the floodplain could jeopardize the Town’s participation in federal flood insurance programs.
- Milton Town Code specifies that only “minor” antennae are permitted in an R-1 zoned area. A “minor” antenna is defined as 40-feet and smaller. The proposed 145’ Verizon tower exceeds this legal limit by 105’ or 275%.
- Cellco Partners/Verizon failed to consider other legal, more sensible and less destructive locations for the tower.
- The proposed tower stands in opposition to the Comprehensive Plan’s goal to create a Front Street a “gateway” to the town.
- It undermines the Comprehensive Plan’s goal to improve access and views of the river.
- It undermines the Comprehensive Plan’s goal to expand the downtown commercial district.
- It will loom over the town’s oldest homes and undermine the community’s expressed desire to protect the character of the historic district
For these and many other reasons, it is the ethical, legal and role-mandated responsibility for the Mayor and Town Council to stop the construction of a cell tower in the Front Street floodplain.
Updates
February 25, 2021
Mayor Kanakos and the council keep trying to dodge our questions about the illegal nature of this floodplain project. They think they can slip this through while nobody is looking but they are dead wrong. I am spending my time digging through every building permit and filing we can find to block these corporate vultures.
February 25, 2021
Mayor Kanakos and the council are finally starting to feel the heat because this momentum is impossible to ignore. We have proved that this town will not let Verizon trample over our laws and our safety to build on a floodway. Keep the pressure on these officials until they drop this reckless plan for good.
45 Comments
403 Union Street This is another example of something that is desperately needed but in the wrong location. The downtown river area should be a showpiece for our town. This will do nothing but ensure that it remains an eyesore long after the water treatment plant is removed. Something that is much needed should not take precedence over aesthetics of the riverfront. Certain people are always talking about Milton being a "destination," let's not ruin the possible scenic views with a cell phone tower. There are plenty of other places that this could go that would still provide us quality cellular coverage.
I object to the proposed site of the cell tower for the reasons stated in this petition. Certainly the nearby water tower can be utilized for this purpose.
This is far from the “highest and best” use of this real estate and incompatible with the direction downtown Milton should be heading. Much better to point Verizon to asking to lease Dogfish brewery land at the top of the hill or out along Rt 16, Rt.5, or Rt. 30–much better such a purpose.
More flooding will increase detoured traffic through the Collins St. and Mill St. neighborhood.
We'd love a Verizon tower, but this location does not comply with the town code and is much too close to the historic district. If we are expected to follow codes and rules on our house, I expect the town to do the same.
This is a terrible place for a cell tower for the reasons listed. Please find a legal and aesthetic place for a cell tower that is aligned with plans for this spot.
Totally against building this cell tower in this location.
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Say No to a Cell Tower on the Front Street Floodplain
We, the undersigned residents of Milton, Delaware, call upon Mayor Kanakos and members of the Milton Town Council to stop all action and activity directed toward the construction of a cell phone tower on Front Street. We agree that the town needs improved cell phone service and we support legal, reasonable and creative efforts to make that happen. However, the Front Street location is not the place to build a cell phone tower for many legal, ethical and common sense reasons:
- Milton Town Code 125-20-A expressly forbids the construction of public utilities in a flood plain. The construction of a cell phone tower in a floodplain is AGAINST THE LAW.
- The proposed site is within a designated floodway. According to Town Code 125-30, “no encroachments, including fill, new construction, substantial improvements, or other development shall be permitted” in a floodway “unless it has been demonstrated through hydrologic and hydraulic engineering analysis that the proposed encroachment would not result in any increase in flood levels within the community during the occurrence of the base flood discharge.” Cellco Partners/Verizon have not conducted hydrologic and hydraulic analyses and have not proven that construction of the tower would not result in increased flood levels in the nearby community.
- Town Code 125-29-E demands that electrical service and mechanical equipment in the floodplain must be “elevated to or above the level of the base flood elevation plus 1.5 feet.” This means that the transformers that normally sit at ground level would have to be elevated several feet in the air if the cell tower were approved for the Front Street location. This would violate the town code that prohibits “the intrusion of any use which is not compatible with this predominant type.”
- Construction of a cell tower and footings in the floodplain could jeopardize the Town’s participation in federal flood insurance programs.
- Milton Town Code specifies that only “minor” antennae are permitted in an R-1 zoned area. A “minor” antenna is defined as 40-feet and smaller. The proposed 145’ Verizon tower exceeds this legal limit by 105’ or 275%.
- Cellco Partners/Verizon failed to consider other legal, more sensible and less destructive locations for the tower.
- The proposed tower stands in opposition to the Comprehensive Plan’s goal to create a Front Street a “gateway” to the town.
- It undermines the Comprehensive Plan’s goal to improve access and views of the river.
- It undermines the Comprehensive Plan’s goal to expand the downtown commercial district.
- It will loom over the town’s oldest homes and undermine the community’s expressed desire to protect the character of the historic district
For these and many other reasons, it is the ethical, legal and role-mandated responsibility for the Mayor and Town Council to stop the construction of a cell tower in the Front Street floodplain.
Updates
February 25, 2021
Mayor Kanakos and the council keep trying to dodge our questions about the illegal nature of this floodplain project. They think they can slip this through while nobody is looking but they are dead wrong. I am spending my time digging through every building permit and filing we can find to block these corporate vultures.
February 25, 2021
Mayor Kanakos and the council are finally starting to feel the heat because this momentum is impossible to ignore. We have proved that this town will not let Verizon trample over our laws and our safety to build on a floodway. Keep the pressure on these officials until they drop this reckless plan for good.
45 Comments
I don’t want the cell tower. How silly to put a cell tower in the middle of a historic area. I have terrible cell service at my home, but would never sacrifice our towns aesthetic, nor our riverfront, for a couple of more bars of service. Respectfully, no thank you.
403 Union Street This is another example of something that is desperately needed but in the wrong location. The downtown river area should be a showpiece for our town. This will do nothing but ensure that it remains an eyesore long after the water treatment plant is removed. Something that is much needed should not take precedence over aesthetics of the riverfront. Certain people are always talking about Milton being a "destination," let's not ruin the possible scenic views with a cell phone tower. There are plenty of other places that this could go that would still provide us quality cellular coverage.
I object to the proposed site of the cell tower for the reasons stated in this petition. Certainly the nearby water tower can be utilized for this purpose.
This is far from the “highest and best” use of this real estate and incompatible with the direction downtown Milton should be heading. Much better to point Verizon to asking to lease Dogfish brewery land at the top of the hill or out along Rt 16, Rt.5, or Rt. 30–much better such a purpose.
More flooding will increase detoured traffic through the Collins St. and Mill St. neighborhood.
We'd love a Verizon tower, but this location does not comply with the town code and is much too close to the historic district. If we are expected to follow codes and rules on our house, I expect the town to do the same.
This is a terrible place for a cell tower for the reasons listed. Please find a legal and aesthetic place for a cell tower that is aligned with plans for this spot.
Totally against building this cell tower in this location.
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I don’t want the cell tower. How silly to put a cell tower in the middle of a historic area. I have terrible cell service at my home, but would never sacrifice our towns aesthetic, nor our riverfront, for a couple of more bars of service. Respectfully, no thank you.