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Cell Phone Tower Information

UPDATE: April 2025

Montgomery County Commissioners support cell tower in Penllyn Woods  

In 1994, Lower Gwynedd purchased Penllyn Woods Park in part with grant funds from Montgomery County. The grant required that no “change of use” be made to the Park unless approved by the Montgomery County Commissioners. Over the course of several months at public meetings, Township officials and Rise Up representatives explained that certain areas of the Township have limited or no cell coverage, and that the proposed tower will not affect the Park’s scenic or recreational uses.  Following a recommendation from the Montgomery County Open Space Board, on April 17, 2025, the Montgomery County Commissioners approved the change of use, with conditions intended to achieve a net conservation benefit. Initial steps to comply with the conditions include amending the Park’s conservation easement to add a provision requiring notice be provided to Wissahickon Trail about proposed future easement amendments and identifying a Township-owned property that is suitable to be donated to Wissahickon Trails or to have a conservation easement held by Wissahickon Trails. 

Next Steps 

Lower Gwynedd will begin the amendment process to add the notice provision to the conservation easement at the Board of Supervisors’ May 13, 2025 meeting.  The Township also is in the process of analyzing properties that may be suitable for discussions with Wissahickon Trails, to satisfy the County conditions of approval.   

Other upcoming steps include seeking required approval from the Orphans’ Court Division of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas and approve a lease with Rise Up for the tower at Penllyn Woods Park. 

The Board of Supervisors will also consider an amendment to the Township’s zoning ordinance permitting Rise Up to construct a second cell tower on the former Andy’s Diner property on Bethlehem Pike, which is necessary to completely close the gap in coverage. 

 

Addressing the Gap in Cell Service in Lower Gwynedd Township 

In 2022, over 100 residents appealed to the Lower Gwynedd Township Board of Supervisors for help addressing the gap in cell service in the community.  After exploring options, the Board agreed to work with Rise Up Towers, which specializes in developing cell tower sites on government property.  Rise Up confirmed there is a significant gap in cell coverage in Lower Gwynedd and reached out to carriers to evaluate interest in filling that gap – in other words seeking a carrier that would pay for installation of a cell tower.   

July 2023 Cell Tower Presentation 

Rise Up Towers presented information at a well-attended public meeting of the Board of Supervisors about the gap in cell coverage in Lower Gwynedd. Because of the extent of the coverage gap, their recommended solution involved the installation of 2 potential cell towers – one next to the fire substation adjacent to the Township Building and one in a maintenance area behind the baseball fields in Penllyn Woods Park. 

Proposed Tower on Bethlehem Pike 

The Supervisors examined both of Rise Up’s proposed locations closely. Because of the potential impact on nearby residences, the Board asked Rise Up to find an alternative location for the tower by the Township Building. After an extensive search, Rise Up located and in 2024 leased a portion of privately-owned commercial property – the former location of Andy’s Diner – on Bethlehem Pike. This location still needs zoning approval from the Township and various approvals from other regulatory agencies. 

Proposed Tower in Penllyn Woods Park 

The proposed tower in Penllyn Woods Park would be constructed in an existing gravel maintenance area where park construction materials are currently stored. As a first step in the review process, the Supervisors considered an amendment to a “Voluntary Declaration of Conservation Easement” regarding use of the Park.  The Supervisors conducted a public process while considering this amendment, advertising the proposed amendment, sending notices to the community, and conducting public hearings on November 14 and November 28, 2023. Rise Up presented testimony about the need for the tower in Penllyn Woods Park and agreed, at its own cost, to better organize the maintenance area to create room for the tower and improve the overall appearance of the area. As a result, there would be no change in the size of the maintenance area after the tower was installed. In response to questions from the Supervisors, Rise Up also provided testimony regarding environmental clearances required for the installation of cell phone towers. After a rigorous analysis, the Supervisors concluded that the tower would not harm the Park’s scenic or recreation areas, as there would be no change to any part of the Park outside of the existing maintenance area. Following the conclusion of testimony, the Board of Supervisors voted to approve an amendment to the conservation easement for the cell tower.   

Because Lower Gwynedd purchased Penllyn Woods Park in part with grant funds from Montgomery County, approval from the Montgomery County Commissioners was required confirming that the “change of use” to the Park was acceptable. Over the course of several months at public meetings of the Montgomery County Open Space Board, Township officials and Rise Up representatives explained that certain areas of the Township have limited or no cell coverage, and that the proposed tower will not affect the Park’s scenic or recreational uses.  Following a recommendation from the Open Space Board, on April 17, 2025, the Montgomery County Commissioners approved the change of use, with conditions intended to achieve a net conservation benefit: 

  1. The existing Penllyn Woods Park conservation easement will be amended to require notice be provided to Wissahickon Trail about proposed future easement amendments. 
  2. All rental payments to the Township from the lease with Rise Up Towers shall be dedicated exclusively to natural resource conservation within the Township (including, but not limited to, ecological improvements or restoration of woods or stream banks, open space preservation, stormwater basin naturalization, trail improvements, or similar initiatives). 
  3. The lease with Rise Up Towers shall require that the tower be removed at the end of the lease term or earlier should its use cease or become obsolete. 
  4. Provided a cell tower becomes installed at Penllyn Woods, the Township and Wissahickon Trails will collaborate to identify a Township-owned parcel that is suitable to be donated to Wissahickon Trails or to have a conservation easement held by Wissahickon Trails.

In addition to complying with the County’s conditions of approval, this location still needs finalization of a lease between Lower Gwynedd Township and Rise Up Towers, and approval of the lease from the Orphans’ Court Division of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. 

Information about Cell Tower Safety 

During Rise Up Towers’ July 2023 presentation about the proposed towers, residents asked whether cell towers could negatively affect the health of people whose homes are nearby. This issue has been studied extensively.  Below are helpful links that provide information on this subject.