26-03-2025
‘Intrusive': Upper East Side residents oppose installation of 5G tower
UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (PIX11) — A group of Upper East Side residents is pushing to block the installation of a LINK NYC 5G Tower on Madison Avenue just south of 86th Street.
Nuha Ansari, the Executive Director of Friends of the Upper East Side, told PIX11 News the Towers are 'so tall and bulky, they are 32 feet high, that is 3 stories high, they're in chrome, which doesn't fit in at all with the neighborhood.'
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She added, 'Madison Avenue is a special preservation district; its storefronts are regulated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. We were amazed that this huge, sort of intrusive 32-foot-tall tower would be proposed for somewhere like that.'
The group appealed to the New York State Historic Preservation Office. It ruled the tower posed 'no adverse effect' on the neighborhood. However, the preservation office strongly recommended design changes.
More than 150 of the LINK NYC 5G Towers have already been put up. The company says they are being placed in 'areas that require additional mobile coverage or capacity', as well as to 'expand and optimize the free Wi-Fi experience.'
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LINK NYC also pointed out that the design of the Link5G smart pole completed a rigorous public review process, including multiple hearings by the NYC Public Design Commission and additional review by Community Boards, Council Members, Borough Presidents, and City agencies.
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