Spring Lake Residents Push Back Against Verizon 5G Boardwalk Plan as Borough Seeks Settlement

# What happened

Spring Lake, New Jersey, residents mobilized last week to block Verizon's effort to install 5G antennas on the town's beachfront boardwalk. Verizon sued the borough in federal court on Nov. 8, 2024, alleging the town "unreasonably delayed" and effectively denied its application. The borough is now pursuing a settlement with Verizon. Residents and legal intervenors oppose that settlement.

# Who's involved

• Borough of Spring Lake: defendant in Verizon's federal lawsuit and pursuing a settlement to avoid litigation costs.
• Verizon: seeking permission to place 5G wireless infrastructure on the boardwalk.
• Residents and intervenors: opposing the settlement and the installations. They voiced unified opposition at an Aug. 25 city council meeting.
• Children's Health Defense (CHD): providing legal support to residents and has intervened in Spring Lake and nearby Belmar cases.
• Attorneys for intervenors: Joseph M. Carusone represents residents who intervened in the Spring Lake lawsuit.

# Why residents object

Residents voiced three concrete concerns at the council meeting and in subsequent communications:

• Property values and aesthetics: residents worry the installations would harm property values and the boardwalk's appearance.
• Loss of local control: the proposed settlement would remove a borough requirement for future wireless infrastructure proposals to undergo local review.

# The proposed settlement

# Why intervenors say settlement should wait

Legal intervenors and CHD argue a settlement is premature for several reasons:

• Ongoing related litigation: Verizon's Belmar federal lawsuit (filed May 2021) is unresolved and could serve as a bellwether for Spring Lake.
• New state action: Lavallette residents filed a state lawsuit alleging Verizon failed to complete required environmental reviews under the Coastal Area Facility Review Act. That case seeks environmental and endangered-species reviews for proposed towers along the New Jersey shore.
• Exclusion of intervenors: CHD and residents say they were not involved in drafting the tentative settlement and therefore could not advocate for remedies addressing residents' concerns.

# Regional context

Spring Lake's dispute is not isolated. Verizon has pursued similar boardwalk or shoreline wireless installations across Monmouth County and nearby towns. In September 2023 Verizon sued Monmouth County after county officials denied its project application. Belmar and Lavallette cases are part of a pattern of local pushback followed by litigation.

# What comes next

Intervenors want the borough to pause settlement talks until the Belmar case is decided and until Lavallette's state lawsuit progresses. CHD and resident attorneys say they will continue to litigate and press for involvement in any negotiations. No hearing date for the Lavallette case has been scheduled yet, and the Belmar federal case remains pending.