Cell towers lead to concern in Oxford Township
Zoning regulations are causing concern among Oxford Township residents and officials who say a loophole is allowing cell towers too close to residential properties.
Newly constructed cell towers are causing frustration in Oxford Township.
During an Oxford Township Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 9, Kelly Hubbard, a township resident, talked to the trustees about a growing number of cell towers being constructed across the township. Hubbard said she came home from work on Nov. 13 to find a tower being erected in her backyard, and she felt the proximity compromised her privacy and created other issues.
“[The workers] work all hours of the day, and were there all day today,” Hubbard said. “The concern of the tower also creates other significant nuisances, like pollution, habitat destruction and zoning regulation violations that would apply to any other type of structure.”
She said that the cell tower was placed on her property through a loophole in zoning regulations that considers her property agricultural, despite the fact that she pays residential taxes without the protections associated with residential zoning.
“This is not a public infrastructure need,” Hubbard said. “This is not a public utility need. This is private citizens making money off cellphone tower placements and corporate competition.”
Gary Salmon, vice president of the Township Trustees, said this has been an issue on the Ohio Township Association’s list for three years, but the state legislature has been slow to act on it.
“It’s in our priority to allow townships to regulate [cell towers], beside residential areas,” Salmon said.
During the meeting, the trustees also gave permission to Michael Case, director of the Oxford Museum Association, to clean 24 cemetery stones and discussed replacing certain police equipment.
