Drawbacks of Having a Cell Tower in the Community

Not long ago, we posted an entry on the benefits of having a cell tower located in a private community, including: earning monthly income from leasing the tower site to a wireless carrier, the opportunity to temporarily sell the lease for a lump sum payment, and better connectivity between cellular devices.

However, there are also drawbacks that can come with having a cell tower located in a private community. If a wireless carrier wants to build a tower in your association-governed neighborhood, it is important for the community and its community management provider to weigh the benefits of having a cell tower against the following drawbacks of having one.

Health Concerns

The American Cancer Society finds no link between radio frequency emissions from cell towers and the development of cancer. However, merely the fact that cell towers “radiate” such emissions is enough to make people who live close to a cellular installation fear for their health.

In the long run, income earned from a cell tower may not be worth the anxiety and low morale that the installation could cause, however scientifically unsupported these feelings may be.

Aesthetic Concerns

Many wireless carriers are willing to make a cell tower cohere with the area surrounding the build site. This is commonly done by disguising a tower to look like a building or a tree. However, while these aesthetic touches help cell towers blend in, they rarely make them look perfectly hidden.

Towers that are made to look like trees often rise far above the natural tree line, and towers that are disguised to look like buildings rarely look like structures that are inhabited or used on a regular basis. In many private communities, aesthetics are a primary concern, as they have a direct impact on property values and the salability of real estate. Consequently, many private communities oppose the installation of cell towers for aesthetic reasons alone.

Lease Cancellation

Wireless carriers canceling cell tower lease agreements before they expire is a common occurrence in the cell tower industry. This is why most cell tower lease agreements have clauses that require carriers to provide advanced notice of cancellation, and pay an early termination fee for abandoning the agreement prematurely.

While these clauses soften the financial blow of having a carrier break the lease, they don’t guarantee that another tenant will be found on short notice. In many cases, a community must participate in a cell tower site marketing program that showcases the tower site to numerous wireless carriers before another tenant is found.

Tenant Requests

Concerning its relationship with the tower site owner, a wireless carrier typically has one goal: increase the bottom line as much as possible. Consequently, the site owner is often hit with a deluge of financially related tenet requests over the course of the lease agreement.

Common requests include: the opportunity to sublet the lease to avoid an early termination fee, the opportunity to match lease buyout offers to gain control of the lease, and better access to the tower for maintenance. Your community could outsource tenant request management to its community management provider, but doing so could trigger an increase in the price of the service package the provider offers.

Seek Assistance

There can be several advantages of having a cell tower built in your community, but there are some drawbacks to consider, as well. For more information about the benefits and drawbacks of having a cell tower erected in your association-governed community, contact an experienced provider of community management services today to schedule a free consultation.