Last fall Verizon sent notice to the town of Warren that the company intended to file an application for a certificate of public good to construct a 140-foot cell tower on Airport Road in Warren.
The town of Warren has repeatedly requested that representatives from Verizon attend a meeting, but so far, Verizon has not complied. Most recently, the company said its attorney would attend the planning commission’s January 9, 2023, meeting but then canceled. Verizon has indicated it intends to refile the notice, which would restart the 60-day period. It has not yet done so.
This delay means that the application will be reviewed under the town’s new Land Use and Development Regulations versus the existing regulations.
At its last meeting on December 27, 2022, the Warren Select Board warned a public hearing of the proposed new land use and development regulations (LUDRs) on February 14, 2023. At the select board’s January 10, 2023, meeting, select board member Camilla Behn apologized to the Warren landowners, noting that under Vermont statute, once the select board warns that public hearing, any zoning application filed has to be reviewed under the new LUDRs and only granted preliminary approval until the new LUDRs have been adopted or 150 days have lapsed.
“We made a decision to warn the LUDRs public hearing early without understanding all the consequences,” Behn said.
Many local residents have been vocal in their opposition to the project as outlined in the notice. According to Vermont statute, an applicant must notify the town and related governing bodies at least 60 days prior to filing such an application. Vermont statute says the applicant shall attend a meeting with the town at the request of the municipal boards within that 60-day period.
