Syracuse ZBA Meeting September 25, 2025: T-Mobile Stealth Cross Variance Approved
Syracuse Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting
September 25, 2025
The meeting began with the adoption of minutes from the September 4th meeting after a brief correction discussion. The sole public hearing concerned a variance request from T-Mobile to increase the height of a stealth cross antenna on a church property by 2.5 feet. The board approved the variance with one opposing vote.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes from the September 4th meeting were approved after a brief correction was discussed and deemed unnecessary by the board. A board member noted a line about the applicant's wife navigating from the porch to the basement, but the board decided the statement was accurate as recorded.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Applicant's Representative (Jeff Davis, attorney, Barclay Damon): Presented the case for T-Mobile. He explained that a previously approved stealth cross antenna design for the church became obsolete because the required equipment was no longer manufactured. A new three-in-one antenna design required a taller and wider stealth cross (22.5 feet tall, exceeding the 20-foot height limit by 2.5 feet). The applicant requested a 2.5-foot height variance. Davis stated that the new cross would replace the existing one and that eight old Nextel antennas on the exterior would be removed, making all T-Mobile antennas invisible inside the new cross. He confirmed the existing cross has been in place about 15 years and that the new cross, made of RF-transparent material, would be maintained monthly. He also stated there were no alternative technologies to reduce height.
- No other public comments were made in favor or opposition.
Discussion Items
- Question from a board member: Asked if the new cross would be maintained better than the current one, which appeared dirty. Davis responded that the new cross would be new and clean, and that monthly maintenance would address debris, nests, and structural issues.
- Question about antenna lifespan: Davis noted that internal antennas are upgraded every few years, but the cross itself is designed to accommodate future technologies to avoid another costly redesign.
- Board discussion on the 20-foot height limit: A board member asked if the code’s 20-foot antenna height limit might need future revision given similar requests. The discussion was deferred, focusing only on this application.
- Concern about bulk and mass: A board member noted the proposed cross would be not only taller but also significantly larger in mass than the existing one. The board chair clarified that the board only had purview over the height variance, not the bulk.
Key Outcomes
- SEQR Negative Declaration: The board unanimously approved a negative declaration under SEQR, determining the proposed action would not result in moderate or large environmental impacts.
- Variance Approval (V-2508): The board voted to approve the 2.5-foot height variance. The motion carried with one opposing vote. The motion included a balancing test noting the minimal height increase, church cooperation, lack of feasible alternatives, insubstantial neighborhood character impact, no adverse effects, and that the self-created nature of the need was mitigated by equipment unavailability. Conditions of approval required the applicant to obtain all required permits prior to site plan approval and to maintain the antenna and supporting structure in good condition.
- Adjournment: The meeting adjourned with no other business.
Meeting Transcript
Meeting of September 25th, 2025 is now in session. The first order of business is to approve the minutes from the September 4th meeting. Is there a motion? Is there a second? Second. All those in favor. Would you make any corrections? Do you have corrections? Yes. Okay. Okay. And the uh what's your phrase? There's a reference to the wife of the applicant going to from the porch to the basement, and I believe that's incorrect. Uh it's got to that line has to be uh either edited or or struck from the uh minutes. What paragraph are you on? Right here. The porch makes it easier for him and his wife to navigate their way to the basement. What paragraph are you uh? I think he did say that. I think I think it's it'll leave it to the Fifth. Right, yeah, no, it didn't yes, the answer in well. They don't have to go to the basement with the porch was part of the thing. Yeah, I think it's I just thought it's fine. Yeah, I think it's fine. No? Yes, we're fine. Um, all right. All those in favor. I die. All right. Uh minutes are officially adopted. Uh we will now do the public hearings uh for today. First, the applicant or the applicant's representative will state the reasons for the requested variants and present any material or documentation which is to be considered regarding the proposal. Next, persons wishing to speak in favor of the proposal will be given the opportunity to address the board. Then persons who wish to speak in opposition will be allowed to address the board. Finally, the applicant or representative will be given the option to make any closing arguments or comments. Following the public hearing this afternoon, the board may make a decision on each application heard. The board may also decide to hold its decision until the next public hearing. It's in the MX One's own district. Somebody here to speak for the applicant. You run such a good public hearing, Jeff. Just give us your name and address. Yeah, Jeff Davis. I'm an attorney with Barclay Damon. We're at 125 Jefferson. Here representing T Mobile. And thank you for the opportunity to speak. And actually, a little background, two years ago, I got approved replacement of that steeple or cross with new antennas in there at by the planning board. As we then went to get the equipment to put the antennas in the cross, that equipment was no longer available and no longer made. So as this industry goes, this is what's known as a three in one antenna design.
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