Southampton Planning Board Continues Cell Tower Hearing to August After Site Relocation Announced

EASTHAMPTON — July 8, 2026 — Southampton Planning Board continues cell tower hearing after applicant proposes moving tower 750 feet southeast. Attorney Francis Parisi, representing Atlantic Communications, told the board at the July 8 meeting that the company would shift its proposed 160-foot monopole from the center of a horse farm at 1 Cook Road to the southeastern corner of the same lot, where commonwealth-owned conservation land borders the site on two sides. The Eastampton City Council, represented by Precinct 5 Councillor Tamara Smith, read a unanimous resolution into the record opposing the tower, asserting that 111 Eastampton residences — compared to 15 Southampton residences — fall within 1,500 feet of the site and that residents on the more-affected side of the town line have no vote in Southampton's permitting process. The board voted unanimously to continue the hearing to August 19, 2026 at 7 p.m., with a new balloon visibility test set for the morning of July 18 at the revised location. The applicant faces a federal shot clock deadline of approximately October 1, 2026, after which inaction could be treated as a constructive denial.