NAHANT — The Planning Board is preparing to hold a public hearing on April 7 to review proposed revisions to the Town’s wireless communications zoning bylaw and discuss updates related to a wireless facility project involving Crown Castle and T-Mobile.
During a recent meeting, board members discussed the status of the application and the timeline for moving forward. One official said the board recently received an update from Crown Castle about the technical review required for the project.
“I have spoken to Amanda Cornwall from Crown Castle,” Chair Sheila Hambleton said. “She has indicated that the MPE study has been completed, and it’s in the hands of T-Mobile as we speak, and they should be getting back to us shortly.”
The MPE study refers to an evaluation of maximum permissible exposure to radiofrequency emissions from telecommunications equipment. Board members indicated that the completion of the study is a key step before further decisions can be made regarding the wireless facility proposal.
In addition to reviewing the project update, the board spent time discussing how to schedule the public hearing for proposed zoning bylaw changes related to wireless communications facilities. The discussion included concerns about ensuring enough members are present to legally conduct votes.
“I do need to be sure that we have not only a quorum, but we have the right number of people who are able to vote, especially for our public hearing on the revisions of our zoning by law,” Hambleton said.
The board noted that two members, Kathryn Casey Carey and Anne-Marie Grady, will be out of the country for part of March, which affects scheduling. As a result, the board discussed moving the hearing date to ensure enough members would be available.
“Casey Carey will not be here on the seventh, but Anne-Marie Grady will be here on the seventh,” Hambleton said.
Member Rob Steinberg then responded, “Let’s do it the seventh then.”
With that agreement, the board tentatively scheduled the hearing for April 7, which members said would allow time to publish public notices and coordinate with other town bodies.
The timeline also includes coordination with the Town’s Finance Committee, which must review certain warrant articles before they are finalized for Town Meeting.
Board members also discussed the possibility of addressing multiple procedural steps in a single meeting to streamline the process.
“We could do them all in one fell swoop,” Steinberg said.
Hambleton explained, “I’d post a regular meeting, and we do the minutes, and then we’d recess for a public hearing, and then reconvene to our normal regular meeting.”
The board said it will continue consulting with legal counsel and staff as the bylaw language is finalized before the hearing. Board members also noted that minor legal edits may be added without requiring the entire proposal to return to the board for another round of approval.
The April 7 public hearing will allow residents to comment on the proposed bylaw revisions before the Planning Board decides whether to adopt, modify, or reject the changes.
