The Hope Township Land Use Board heard new testimony Oct. 6 in Verizon’s ongoing application to build a 137-foot cell tower on Honey Run Road, as residents and board members continued to question the project’s impact and alternatives.
The hearing included fresh data from Verizon’s radio-frequency engineer and new input from residents concerned about coverage gaps, tower height and visibility. The meeting ended with the case adjourned until Nov. 10, when Verizon’s next witness is expected to return with additional visuals and technical details.
Verizon engineer, Ron Lukach presented new findings and evidence from a drive test his team conducted Sept. 15 to verify coverage data accuracy questioned by board members at the previous meeting. The test confirmed a gap in reliable in-building service and, In Lukach’s opinion, the minimum height required for the proposed facility. He said the proposed 137-foot tower would cover about 80% of Verizon’s proposed area.
A Honey Run Road resident told the board he currently lacks access to emergency services and asked if the proposed coverage would overcome the area’s steep topography.
Board members and residents also expressed concern that the height of the tower could exceed 137 feet if another wireless provider later sought an extension through the Federal Communications Commission to accommodate an additional antenna. Verizon attorney Frank Ferraro said he could not guarantee the tower would remain 137 feet tall but added that other wireless providers would likely apply to add antennas lower on the structure rather than seek a height increase through litigation.
The board discussed setting a maximum height limit of 145 feet as a possible condition of approval but tabled the discussion until a later meeting.
There were also some questions about how the tower’s height compares with the surrounding treeline. Verizon civil engineer Colleen Connolly said additional visual simulations would be provided and agreed that evaluating the tower within the aesthetic context of the treeline could help address residents’ concerns.
Lukach reiterated that the alternate sites proposed during September’s hearing were inadequate to close the coverage gap. Forest Brown of Cemetery Road suggested another potential site and provided latitude and longitude coordinates, which Lukach dismissed as also inadequate despite interest by the board.
After Lukach concluded and public questions were addressed, Connolly was sworn in as Verizon’s next expert witness. She described the technical details of the proposed site, testifying that it would be visited about once a month for routine maintenance and remotely monitored for technological issues.
Board members discussed adding lighting to the tower to make it more visible to local pilots, despite the FCC’s prior approval to construct a tower without lights at the site.
Connolly’s testimony concluded the evening’s proceedings. At 10:07 p.m., the hearing was adjourned and carried — without further notice — to Nov. 10, 2025, at 7 p.m.
Documents presented by Verizon and the meeting schedule are available on the Hope Township Land Use Board website. The next meeting will allow interested residents to be sworn in and offer testimony before the board.
Julien Smith is a student journalist from Northwest New Jersey. He has had a lifelong fascination with all things journalism, and mentors elementary and middle school aged kids with the program “Indy Kids” in NYC. He lives in between Hope and Blairstown, and usually can be found puttering around his garden or with his nose in a textbook.
- Julien Smith, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/julien-smith-contributing-writer/
- Julien Smith, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/julien-smith-contributing-writer/
- Julien Smith, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/julien-smith-contributing-writer/
- Julien Smith, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/julien-smith-contributing-writer/
