The Zoning Vote: A Tower Rises in Gardner MA
The Gardner Zoning Board of Appeals met on July 21, 2026. Listen to the meeting on any device, CLICK PLAY.
The Gardner Zoning Board of Appeals convened with four of its five members present, necessitating unanimous votes for all decisions. The session focused on two primary applications by Fred Mahood (representing SBA) regarding a proposed cell tower at 677 Timpany Boulevard
The Board successfully granted both a Special Permit and a Fall Zone Variance for the facility. The Special Permit was approved contingent upon several financial and legal protections for the city, including a $50,000 removal bond and a $5 million liability policy. The Variance was granted based on documented hardships related to site topography (wetlands) and the scarcity of willing landowners, balanced against the engineered safety of the tower, which is designed to collapse upon itself in the event of failure.
