After 3 years of trying to get approval for a cell tower, AT&T finally wins the vote on a private property in Scituate, a seacoast town in Massachusetts. The telecom company plans to construct a 150-foot tall tower on a property owner’s land in a residential area. Initially, in 2010, AT&T was trying to get approval to build on school property; however, due to parental objection, did not get approval. According to Scituate Zoning Board Chairman, Sara Trezise, “I particularly felt that they have held their burden of proof with respect to number 1, being entitled to a tower. They showed there was a significant gap. And they showed there was no reasonable, feasible, and available alternative site for the cell phone tower.”
The real question is whether the property owner has received a fair proposal for the use of their land to house the telecom equipment. Vertical Consultants can work to negotiate terms that establish rights that are beneficial to the landowner, while limiting the obligations that same party may have under that same agreement, or more to the point get the most and give up the least. A property owner’s first step will need to be to establish “True Value” of its site and go from there.
(http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/scituate/2013/09/scituate_cell_tower_approved_for_private_property.html)
