No, residents of Tabernacle, you’re not crazy. There was, in fact, a lengthy debate over a proposed cell phone tower at Neubert’s Automotive on Route 206 that ended with the project being approved by the township. It’s just that those conversations took place two years ago, long enough that many had forgotten the project was approved. After years of delays, construction is finally scheduled to begin later this fall.
Tabernacle’s land development board approved the construction of a cell tower for T-Mobile in 2011. For many residents, that was the last they had heard of the project, as construction never began. Frank DeGenova of Valore LLC said paperwork has caused the sluggish pace.
Valore has been working on this project for nearly three years. The New Jersey Pinelands Commission and township requirements have prolonged the approval process for construction. According to DeGenova, the zoning compliance stage of the project, which had taken months, is complete. Now the company can move on to obtaining a building permit, which is in the process of being completed.
Once that is finished, ground can be broken for the project to begin.
“Once we get started, it should only take a month or two to build,” DeGenova said.
The tower will be built in the rear parking lot of Neubert’s Automotive. Its proximity to the Medford Farms Baptist Church and an adjacent residential neighborhood were the cause of residents initial concerns.
Homeowners in that section of Tabernacle, called Medford Farms, said the tower would be an eyesore and directly decrease property values in their neighborhood. Because of those complaints, the land development board initially voted to deny the construction request after several public hearings. The committee reversed its decision after a judge in the case sent the decision back to the township for review. At that point, the committee voted and approved the construction of the tower.
Currently, T-Mobile is the only mobile provider scheduled to occupy the tower when construction is completed. The tower is being constructed with the intent of attracting other licensed carriers to utilize the site if the need arises. The increase in cellular devices being used has increased the demand for cellular service throughout the country. Many local municipalities have grown accustomed to the towers being built. The tower will be equipped to support the latest 4G technologies to support carrier and customer demands.
