Hempstead ZBA denies antenna request

The Hempstead Town Board of Zoning Appeals has denied a request from T-Mobile Northeast to install wireless communication antennas on the roof of a Garden City building.

The decision relied in part on a review by the town's newly hired wireless communications expert. In denying the application, the board considered the effects on residents and neighborhood character near the Nassau Boulevard building, but also found that T-Mobile Northeast failed to show that a gap in local cell serviced existed.

The decision follows the town's recent denial of a proposal to install cell antennas on the Farmingdale-Wantagh Jewish Center in Wantagh.

"We couldn't be more thrilled with the Board of Appeals' decision," Town Supervisor Kate Murray said in a statement. "Preserving the suburban character of neighborhoods like Garden City South and Garden City and protecting area home values are issues that we take seriously in Hempstead Town."