COCHECTON – Verizon is looking to build a cell tower in the Town of Cochecton, with two possible locations: one at property owned by the Lake Huntington Fire Company on County Road 116, and the other on town-owned property on Nearing Road.

At the recent Town of Cochecton town board meeting, a letter was read from members of the Lake Huntington Fire Company asking why their application has been pending for over two years.

“We respectfully request determinations in writing from both the ZBA and the planning board on our pending application,” the letter reads.

According to the letter, Verizon does not wish to construct two cell towers in the town.

Town Attorney Robert Freeman responded that the holdup is because a lawyer representing Verizon keeps asking for an extension to the application.

The application is currently before the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and Planning Board.

In 2024, a public hearing was held by the ZBA where Verizon was seeking a zoning relief because communications towers were not permitted in the property’s zoning district under the circumstances. Verizon sought, among other things, to reduce the required 150-foot setbacks to 103 feet in the front and 105 feet in the rear.

Separately, the town board approved a land lease agreement with Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless on March 11, 2026. The agreement would allow Verizon to install and operate a cell tower on a six-acre parcel of town-owned property on Nearing Road.

According to Town of Cochecton Supervisor Gary Maas, the location meets all requirements except for the setbacks, which would need a variance of 18 feet.

The location of the proposed cell tower, which is on land that was given to the town, is past American Electric on Nearing Road. The tower would be 155 feet tall.

Maas said the application is still waiting on ZBA approval and there will need to be a public hearing, which he said is likely to happen next month.

The contract states that Verizon would pay the town $1,500 per month to lease the land once the tower is fully constructed.

While Maas did not know how much cell coverage it would provide, he said it would “fill the gaps.”

“I think it’s going to take care of much of the problem,” he said.

At a planning board meeting on September 3, several residents showed up to voice their opposition to the Nearing Road cell tower.

A resident who lives on Nearing Road who wished to not be identified said, “We are not looking forward to this one bit, neither are the neighbors. It will be almost right across the street from us; I worry about the construction phase and its potential impact on us.”

He cited other concerns about health effects and a potential decrease in property value.