State Preservation Office Challenges 5G Tower Plan, But Private Vendor Pushes Forward
The controversial proposal to erect large antennas on seven Lower Manhattan streets to enable high-speed wireless connectivity is being driven forward by the City’s private-sector partner, in spite of recommendations from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) that three of the planned locations are inappropriate, and that a fourth should be modified.
The seven local sites of the planned fifth-generation (“5G”) towers are on sidewalks in front of 95 Wall Street, 88 Pine Street, 75 South Street, 110 William Street, Eight Spruce Street, 66 Harrison Street, and 100 North Moore Street.
Among these, three (88 Pine, 75 South, and 66 Harrison) did not spur objections from SHPO in a review last fall. Of the remainder, the State agency advised that three (110 William, Eight Spruce, and 95 Wall) should be “moved to a different location, or redesigned” because of their proximity to legally protected landmarks or “National Register-eligible and listed historic buildings.” SHPO recommended that a fourth, at 100 North Moore, be redesigned to eliminate advertising panels.
Following the SHPO recommendations, Boldyn Network Infrastructure (the vendor hired by the City to install the network of 5G towers throughout the five boroughs) hired EBI Consulting to prepare environmental reviews of each site. Based on recommendations from EBI, Boldyn is now disputing and appealing all of SHPO’s recommendations.
In response, Community Board 1 enacted a resolution at its January meeting noting that the Board “continues to strongly oppose the proposed installation of Link5G towers.”
This development follows an October letter from a trio of State Assembly members representing Lower Manhattan (Grace Lee, Deborah Glick, and Charles Fall) to SHPO and the City’s Office of Technology and Innovation, arguing that “we have received substantial feedback from residents who are concerned about the visual pollution the towers would introduce. The integration of technology into our urban landscape must be balanced with the needs and preferences of the community. Our constituents have expressed a desire for solutions that enhance connectivity without compromising the charm and historical context of their surroundings.”