MILTON, Del. -- After further discussion in a town council meeting Monday, some neighbors in Milton are expressing concerns about a proposed 140-foot Verizon cell phone tower that could be built on 210 Front St.
Verizon first brought forth the proposal to the town in 2019. Since then, many neighbors living near the proposed location have expressed concerns about it's placement and the negative impact it could have on the area.
Gillian Benson is one of those neighbors. Her main concern is the flooding that occurs on Front St.
"With the tower, there will be less permeable soil for the water to drain away, so flooding will be longer and deeper," says Benson. "That really concerns me, because Front St. is a gateway in and out of town, and these little historic roads are going to have to deal with all the traffic."
Her next door neighbors, Jeffrey Carroll, expressed concerns about the impact the tower will have on the quiet, historic feel of the area.
"The town council, historical society, everybody you talk to want to keep the town dainty, small, historic and having it on Front St. is like the main gateway into the town," says Carroll. "The first thing you'll see is the cell tower before you see anything else. If we had known that this cell tower were goin this close to our house, we would have never built here. We were very, very upset when we found out about it."
Neighbor Barry Goodinson, who lives in the Mathew Osbourne House built circa 1730, is just a short distance from where the tower would be built. In addition to concerns about the aesthetic change the tower will bring, her raised legal concerns about the proposed location.
"It's against the law that it's in a flood plain," says Goodinson. "We're not allowed to build utilities in flood hazard areas. It also violates the comprehensive plan, and it just doesn't make sense to put something that you're going to need in an emergency, in a place that floods in an emergency."
WBOC reached out to the Town of Milton for a comment on the matter, but did not hear back from them. Neighbors that attended the meeting on Monday say the council voted to move forward in a contract with Verizon to proceed with plans for the tower.