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Cell towers get planners' OK in split Milford vote
The Milford Township Planning Commission at its Thursday, Oct. 25 meeting approved recommending a wireless overlay zone and special use permit for seven 199-foot radio broadcast towers to be built on the border of Wixom and Milford Township.
Both votes were close as the recommendations were each passed by a 5-4 margin.
Sima Birach, the owner of Southfield-based Birach Broadcasting Corporation, asked for a rezoning, special use and site plan approval for the towers — proposed to be located off Maple Road, just west of the Wixom Department of Public Works facility on Charms Road — after he purchased two parcels totaling more than 61 acres so he could relocate the towers from Fenton to Milford Township.
Birach Broadcasting Corporation owns and operates a network of AM radio stations in the Midwest and on the East Coast.
The towers would be visible to residents along the roadway and those in the Wexford Mews subdivision, in addition to residents in Milford Township.
Planning Commission Chairman David Kulp voted in favor of the recommendations.
“I believe he satisfied the requirements of the ordinance,” Kulp said. “The applicant’s attorney also agreed to take the actions we requested, some of which were not required by the ordinance.”
Planning Commission Member Ric Mueller voted against the recommendations on both counts.
“I see no benefit for Milford. It doesn’t follow our master land use plan,” Mueller said. “I asked the gentleman if he knew that the area was zoned how it was when he bought the property, and he admitted that there was a risk if the (recommendations) did not go through.”
The next township board meeting is scheduled for Nov. 21.
8 Responses to Cell towers get planners' OK in split Milford vote
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Fred Adamson
November 1, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Did the Milford Planning Commission perform due diligence in investigating the record of Birach in other communities? A quick search of Birach reveals FCC judgments against it as recently as 2012. For example:
NOTICE OF APPARENT LIABILITY FOR FORFEITURE AND ORDER
Adopted: June 14, 2012
Released: June 14, 2012
In this Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture and Order (NAL), we find that Birach
Broadcasting Corporation (Birach), licensee of AM Station WOAP in Owosso, Michigan (Station),1 apparently willfully and repeatedly violated Section 73.1745(a) of the Commission’s rules (Rules)2 by operating at times other than those specified in its license. We conclude that Birach is apparently liable for forfeiture in the amount of four thousand dollars ($4,000). We further direct Birach to submit, no later than thirty (30) calendar days from the date of this NAL, a statement signed under penalty of perjury that it is currently operating in compliance with Section 73.1745(a) of the Rules.
NOTICE OF APPARENT LIABILITY FOR FORFEITURE AND ORDER
Adopted: June 1, 2012
Released: June 1, 2012
In this Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture and Order (NAL), we find that Birach
Broadcasting Corporation (Birach), licensee of AM Station WCXI in Fenton, Michigan (Station), apparently willfully and repeatedly violated (1) Section 73.49 of the Commission’s rules (Rules)1 by failing to enclose the Station’s antenna structure within an effective locked fence; and (2) Sections 73.3526(e)(12) and 73.3526(c)(1) of the Rules by failing to maintain and make available the issues/program lists in the Station’s public inspection file. We conclude that Birach is apparently liable for a forfeiture in the amount of seventeen thousand dollars ($17,000). We further direct Birach to submit, no later than thirty (30) calendar days from the date of this NAL, a written statement signed under penalty of perjury stating that
the Station is now in compliance with Sections 73.49 and 73.3526 of the Rules.
This company disregards the rules and regulations that govern the industry. Why is this company allowed to run afoul of our Master Plan? Is this company’s cell tower structure in the best interest of Milford residents? I think not.
Gate Police
November 2, 2012 at 2:48 pm
So they left a gate un-locked and broadcast beyond beyond your bedtime. The horror.
AJ
November 3, 2012 at 8:15 pm
Willfully and repeatedly failing to comply with regulations is a big deal, and it’s definitely something that should earn Birach and their plans closer scrutiny.
AJ
November 2, 2012 at 12:10 am
The real question is: Why are they still building new AM radio station towers? In terms of listeners, AM radio was eclipsed decades ago by FM radio which is now becoming eclipsed by devices such as the iPod and Internet podcasts/streaming and satellite radio – all of which continue to garner ever more listeners. So really, it’s probably only a matter of time before these new AM towers become totally obsolete.
John
November 6, 2012 at 8:48 pm
As long as radios work, people will listen…no towers will become obsolete. You must be very young and don’t realize the power of radio. Not EVERYONE listens to FM sorry. Birach is a multi-millionaire because of “brokered radio” where people buy airtime to broadcast. Many of these are foreign progamming, who cannot gain entry into FM because FM station as of yet do not broker their time. Tell Birach that AM is dead and he will laugh in your face.
AJ
November 7, 2012 at 5:50 pm
I grew up on radio, listening to Drew & Mike (WRIF) and stations like 99.5 The Fox (and others).
The seemingly insatiable appetite of digital (iPod/iPhone) users – those who want full control over what they listen to – and the large numbers of listeners that are flocking to Internet sites such as Pandora and Spotify, indicate where the listening public is headed. Most new cars now even come with input jacks so that users don’t have to listen to the radio at all while driving, they just plug in their digital device and go.
And no one (foreign broadcasters included) needs to pay to broadcast on AM radio when it’s practically free to broadcast on the Internet and they can potentially reach a larger audience by doing so.
Basically, when it comes to media and getting your message out and your voice heard, times have changed, and they continue to do so.
John
November 24, 2012 at 10:51 pm
Listen to AM 680 days-690 Nights. WNZK all Foreign, all brokered. Station has programming all week from Polish to Arab, from Lithuanian to Irish. For now the station is crammed with this programming and each hour is paid for…these people don’t want to broadcast over the internet. They want to be on a station in a major market that reaches their people, many who are OVER 50 years of age and do listen to a radio. You don’t hear any AM stations going out of business do you? Take a chance and listen one day…talk radio, sports talk, ethnic, and little music throughout, but it’s still vibrant and still kicking. By the way Birach Broadcast owns WNZK-680 and 690…WCXI 1160, and WCAR sports radio 1090. Look up their web sign…all AM stations either brokered, or leased.
Sharon Miller
November 8, 2012 at 12:26 pm
It is alarming to hear about these FCC judgements. It’s a lot worse than just leaving the gate open. It’s a sign that this company doesn’t respect the communities where their towers are located or follow their rules. There are usually many more offenses before a judgement is rendered, which leads me to believe that this is not a reputable company.
One major question is not whether it is in the best interest of Milford to allow these towers to be built, but how will this affect the people who live in the area where they will be erected. This area is on the outskirts of Milford and more directly affects the Wixom community.
These towers would be built right next to a Wixom community park and would greatly affect the property values of many Wixom residents.
Currently there are plans to build 119 homes near the downtown area of Wixom. This would be a boost to the Wixom economy, which was greatly affected when the Ford plant closed down. If these towers go up, how will that affect the sale of these homes? I wouldn’t want to buy a home that had seven 199 ft towers in its backyard.
We live in the area which would be directly affected by these towers. We bought our home at the top of the housing bubble and have already taken a $100,000 hit on our home’s value. We fell in love with the Wixom/Milford community because of its small town charm. These towers would have a huge negative affect on that feel of being in the country.
This isn’t something that is needed by either community. There are other areas that would be a much better fit for something like this, like say, the old Ford plant. It is located in an industrial part of town near the freeway.
Is Milford really going to benefit that much from this company’s business? I would argue that it would be a detriment to them almost as much as it is to us. These towers are much bigger than most people realize. They would be the height of an average 20 story building. High tension towers dwarf in comparison. Their width is also much wider than a cell phone tower. And there would be seven of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they could be seen from downtown Milford.
Do the people of Milford understand this? Have they been informed? We only found out about it recently and from our neighbors, not this company.