To the Editor,

T-Mobile has requested that the State of New Jersey lease space on the property of the National Guard Armory located in the Town of Westfield for the installation of a 150-foot communications tower.  We are strongly opposed to this proposal.  As your representatives to the Westfield Town Council, we believe that the Armory is not an appropriate location for the proposed tower because of the negative impacts on our neighborhood.  We oppose this project because the Armory is in the heart of our Ward and surrounded on three sides by residential homes.  Further, the Town will receive no monetary benefit from the project but instead will suffer the long lasting effects that this tower would have on our quality of life.  Finally, the site is located across the street from the Westfield High School and in close proximity to McKinley Elementary School and Holy Trinity School.

Unfortunately, because it is a State property, the Armory is not subject to Westfield zoning restrictions and can construct the cell tower without the Town's approval.  In fact, the Town zoning ordinance actually prohibits this type of project at this location.  Although we are unable to enact any further legislation that would prohibit the Armory from constructing the tower, we are actively working to stop this project.

Upon learning of the plan, we, along with Mayor Andy Skibitsky, immediately reached out to our State representatives Senator Tom Kean and Assemblyman Jon Bramnick (both Westfield residents) to join us in opposition to the tower.  At our request, Senator Kean is involved in on-going conversations with the leadership of the Armory in an attempt to persuade them to reject the T-Mobile request.

We are also using whatever tools we have at our disposal on a local level.  As an example, our Historic Preservation Commission has determined that this project would be detrimental to the Armory as a potential historic site, Stoneleigh Park historic zone and other local historic homes. We have brought this fact to the attention of the State and requested that they conduct the requisite investigation to determine compliance with regulations set forth by the federal government through the National Historic Trust.

We encourage you to contact us for updates on our progress to stop this project.  Our email addresses are jfoerst@westfieldnj.gov and kloughlin@westfieldnj.gov.  Jim can be reached at 908-233-3251, while Keith can be reached at 908-233-9000.  Also, we encourage you to contact our State representatives and our Governor to voice your opposition to this project.  We remain committed to you, our constituents and neighbors, to continue to work for you and with you on these important issues of our community. 

Sincerely,

Councilman James M. Foerst

Councilman Keith Loughlin