Gardner ZBA Unanimously Approves Cell Tower Special Permit and Variance for Templeton Boulevard

Zoning Board · Meeting of July 21, 2026

Gardner's Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved a special permit and a fall-zone variance for a multi-carrier cell tower at 677 Templeton Boulevard, clearing the final regulatory hurdles for an AT&T-anchored structure at the rear of the Walmart property. The four-member board, Acting Chairman Mel Cornette, Richard Hanks, Robert Price, and Jim Bilalow, was required to vote unanimously on both actions because only four of the board's five seats were occupied. SBA Communications, the tower developer, appeared after multiple prior hearings and addressed two outstanding conditions: Cornette pushed the removal bond from the applicant's cited industry standard of $35,000 up to $50,000, and the board required a $5 million liability policy naming the city as co-insured, plus a hold-harmless agreement.

The applicant's representative confirmed Walmart refused to restrict parking within the tower's fall zone but said the area is seldom used. Verizon and T-Mobile are expected to co-locate on the structure once AT&T's installation is complete.

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Source: the Zoning Board meeting of July 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.