The Crofton Civic Association has joined the fight against a 300-foot cellular telephone tower proposed for a site next to the Arundel Volunteer Fire Department on Route 424.
West Shore Communications Inc., of Odenton, wants to build the tower on 2 acres next to the fire station, along with two small storage buildings and two parking spaces. The firm would rent tower space to cellular phone companies that want to plug gaps in their coverage areas.
But West Shore Communications must first get county zoning permission, called a special exception, for the tower, which is considered a public utility. The land is zoned for agricultural/residential use.
The company also needs two variances: one to waive county rules that limit the height of accessory structures to 25 feet, the other to relax property setback rules.
The tower would be 20 feet from the edge of an 80-acre parcel owned by the county and slated to be developed as an athletic complex.
The Crofton Civic Association board of directors unanimously opposes the tower, saying it will be too close to the new park.
Board President Edwin F. Dosek said yesterday his group is concerned that the county would have to leave a buffer around the tower, reducing the amount of land available for ball fields and other recreational uses.
He said the tower would be designed to buckle in the middle in the event of extremely high winds, but if it is placed near the property line and buckles, it could topple as far as 30 feet into the park.
The Crofton Civic Association board also said the tower would be ugly, the health effects of its electromagnetic emissions are unknown, it could pose an attractive nuisance to children who might be tempted to climb it, and the installation of its deep pilings might interfere with the water table in local wells.
"I don't think the people that want to put it up have really looked around for [other] possible locations," Mr. Dosek said yesterday.
Jay Winer, president of West Shore Communications Inc., did not return telephone calls yesterday.
The Greater Crofton Council, which represents civic associations outside the Crofton special tax district, discussed the tower at its meeting Tuesday.
Members expressed concern over the tower's impact on the athletic complex, but also said they needed more information.
Anne Arundel County Administrative Hearing Officer Robert C. Wilcox is expected to rule on the West Shore requests next week.
The county zoning code, drafted in 1967, predates cellular phone technology.
The law does not specifically deal with cellular phone towers, but lumps them with other public utilities, such as water treatment plants, which present different considerations.