Frustration mounts on cell phone tower in Whitestone

The weather may be cold and damp, but many Whitestone residents are boiling mad at cell phone provider T-Mobile, for putting a 65-foot tall tower in their midst.
On Saturday, December 8, about 50 of them gathered at 149th Street and 8th Avenue near the back of a commercial building where the tower is being erected in the largely residential northeast Queens neighborhood.
Many at the rally were outraged that by the time they found out about the construction, “it was a done deal.” According to a Department of Buildings (DOB) website, the approval of the plans came in late April.
The problem is that even though the property is in a residential zone, it has a “commercial overlay,” meaning it can be used for commercial purposes. According to a spokesperson for Community Board 7, which covers Whitestone, “The plans were approved because the tower complied with the requirements. It was built ‘as-of-right.’”
The neighborhood concerns have gotten expressions of support from City Councilmember Tony Avella and State Senator Frank Padavan. Avella reportedly expressed concern about “the potential long term health hazards of living near such a tower.”
Yet the Federal Communications Commission, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations all say that there is no danger from cell phone towers.
The towers have antennas to transmit and receive signals - for every group of three or four antennas, only one is for transmission. The signals are “not like radioactivity or x-rays; there is no cumulative effect,” according to Dave Collins of Pinnacle Telcom, an industry consultant.
“The FDA did the work to determine the safe level of exposure to radio waves from cellular antennas and the WHO endorsed their findings,” Collins said. “Anything under their limit is safe for continuous exposure, and these towers are typically 150 times less.”
The Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 prohibits local governments from stopping cell phone tower construction by means of zoning regulations. Padavan has railed against this rule, suggesting that it was the work of lobbyists.
The owner of the property, 702-149 Realty Corporation has run afoul of neighbors before. Over the years, they have been the subject of complaints to the DOB, for subdividing the building, having a doctor’s office, day care center or a pest control company on the site. They say they need the rental income and it was a simple business decision.
Since August 1, when it became apparent that a cell phone tower was going up on the property, there were two more complaints to the DOB in regard to the tower construction, the last on December 7; both were dismissed as unfounded.
Calls for action include a boycott of T-Mobile. That may be the only option remaining for the protesting residents.