Bensalem Rejects T-Mobile Monopole

At 12:42 a.m. after a five-hour hearing, Bensalem Township Council unanimously rejected a conditional use application by T-Mobile to erect a 64-foot telecommunications monopole at an auto repair shop in the mostly residential Belmont Hills section of the township.

T-Mobile’s professionals claimed that the tower at Al’s Auto Repairs, 4929 Neshaminy Boulevard, was needed to fill a “significant gap in coverage” for its cellular phone customers.

While the meeting lasted for several hours, it was fairly obvious early on how the council members were going to vote. They had sided with the numerous residents who have voiced opposition to the project noting that it was out of character with the surrounding neighborhood.

“You can’t really want me to believe that you’re going to put one of these in a residential neighborhood,” said Councilman Joseph Pillieri.

When T-Mobile’s attorney said the company looked at several alternative sites without success, Pillieri said “I really don’t care where they looked…It’s in a residential neighborhood…You’re going to put it smack-dab in the middle of a residential area?”

“A line has to be drawn on this stuff,” he added. “And I think that this is one of those things that’s crossing the line…It’s got to stop…I think you guys are getting out of control.”

Councilman Ed Kisselback agreed.

“It’s an all-residential area,” he said. “It just seems to be the wrong place for this particular tower. I would have to be hard pressed and convinced to consider this to be a positive vote from my point of view.”

The board heard from several T-Mobile professionals including a radio frequency engineer, a site engineer, a zoning manager and a site acquisition specialist.

“Each one of you guys tell me where you live so I can go put one in the back of your yard so you can go look at it,” Pillieri said.

The board’s opinion on the application was made obvious when it attacked the credentials of Vassem Iskander, the radio frequency engineer, despite over a decade of experience and history of being qualified on numerous boards in several states including within Bensalem on numerous occasions.

Once he was finally recognized as an expert, Iskander’s testimony was marked by frequent questions and other interruptions by board members.

Eventually, Iskander and the other witnesses completed their expert testimony and answered questions from the board.

Following the testimony, the public was given a chance to speak, but Council President Joseph Szafran asked them to keep their comments short and sweet because it was already after midnight.

Of the handful of residents who voiced opposition to the project, a few took his advice, but at least two had plenty to say.

Neighbors Andrew Niczewski and Paul Barnes, who have been the most outspoken opponents to the project, talked for quite a while regarding errors in the T-Mobile application, potential safety issues with the project and other potential negative impacts to the neighborhood.

In the end, council sided with the neighbors with a unified vote against the application.

Councilman Joseph Knowles realized that T-Mobile would likely appeal the board’s denial.

“If it’s got to be argued in Pennsylvania court, so be it,” said. “I don’t think you should be able to build a tower like this in a residential area.”