Southwick Planning Board Approves Public Safety Cell Tower Decision, ADA Walkway Changes

SOUTHWICK — May 5, 2026 — Southwick Planning Board approves public safety tower decision and ADA walkway modifications at May 5 meeting. The board voted unanimously to approve a written special permit and site plan review decision for a public safety wireless communications tower at 20 Juniper Road, including two waivers — one from the balloon-and-plane visual impact test and one from the standard setback rule requiring tower distance from a property line to equal at least 1.5 times the tower's height. An easement with adjacent landowner JW LLC must be drafted by town counsel and recorded with the Hampden County Registry of Deeds by July 1, 2026, the tower's operational deadline for the town's public safety communications department. The board also unanimously approved a minor site plan modification for ADA-compliant walkways at Crepes Tea House, a local restaurant, correcting a width discrepancy from three feet to the required 48-inch minimum under 521 CMR, and continued public hearings for 6 South Westfield Street and 141 Conlon Road to May 26.