White Plains New York passed a wireless ordinance to control 5G and “small” cell towers near homes. The ordinance has a 250 foot setback for residential areas, requires liability insurance and ensures regular testing for radio-frequency radiation paid for by the company. The ordinance also prefers that wireless facilities be in industrial areas rather than residential and “to the extent technically feasible, no small wireless facilities shall be located in the Front Facade Area of a residential structure, any public, private and/or state-chartered preschool, elementary school, or secondary school, daycare center or nursing home…” 

Please see a press release below from the organization SafeTech Westchester New York working on the issue. 

A Yes Vote for Safety! It Happened on Monday in White Plains, NY

On Monday 4.3.23 at the April White Plains Common Council meeting, 6 out of 7 Council Members, under the leadership of Mayor Thomas Roach, amended the White Plains telecommunications ordinance with regard to small wireless facilities.

New common-sense protections were added, the result of 3-½ years of advocacy by a team of White Plains residents. This effort was led by Ruth F. Moss, Director of SafeTech Westchester, and Ellen Weininger of the national non-profit Grassroots Environmental Education, an award-winning environmental health organization known for its groundbreaking achievements, from prohibiting the use of pesticides at NYS schools to playing a prominent role in banning fracking in New York State.

The newly amended ordinance aims to enable wireless infrastructure in White Plains, while simultaneously protecting the public from adverse impacts. White Plains Common Council President Justin Brasch commented, “Public health and safety are top priorities. These new regulations provide reasonable protections against the potential dangers linked with small cell wireless antennas.” Councilman Richard Payne expressed his gratitude to the many local residents who educated the Council on this issue.

New provisions include setbacks from homes and schools, “in order to ensure and maintain the safety, property values, and aesthetic qualities of White Plains streets and neighborhoods.” “We all love technology,” says Nick Wolff, a long-time White Plains resident and popular realtor, “but above all, it has to be safe.”

Submitted by SafeTech Westchester.

Watch the full White Plains New York Council meeting on April 3, 2023 here. 

Highlights of the White Plains New York Ordinance

• To the extent technically feasible, small wireless facilities should be located first in industrial districts, secondly in business districts and last in residential districts
•  To the extent technically feasible, no small wireless facilities as defined in 47 C.F.R. §1.6002(1) shall be located in the Front Facade Area of a residential structure, any public, private and/or state-chartered preschool, elementary school, or secondary school, daycare center or nursing home or use (“Front Facade Area” being the area of the public right-of-way directly in front of any of the aforementioned structures…
• Setback provisions (i) industrial and business districts, a minimum of 25 feet from the nearest structure; and (ii) residential districts, a minimum of 250 feet from the nearest structure;
• Companies shall fund qualified independent testing firm to periodically verify that all Small Wireless Facilities are operating within the FCC’s RF exposure levels.
• Liability Insurance requirements.
• Notice of an application for a small wireless facility to the owners of property, if any, located within 500 feet of the proposed small wireless facility.

Watch the Youtube highlights from the Council meeting here.