The fence is coming down. Long a sore point for neighbors around the Entercom radio towers at 50th and Belinder, a barbed-wire topped perimeter fence around the property will be removed by the company.
The Westwood City Council approved a special use permit for Entercom Communications Thursday night that ends a months-long saga and allows the company to continue its use of the eight-acre site for its broadcast operations. Entercom previously had objected to removal of the eight-foot fence. But Thursday, Entercom’s Dave Alpert told the council “we will take the perimeter fence down to be a good neighbor.”
Alpert said the towers and guy wire anchors will continue to be fenced. The process through planning commission and council, he said, “gave us a chance to listen to the neighbors.” Those neighbors had asked for improvements at the property for several years, complaining about maintenance and the condition of the fence.
The council in January rejected a planning commission recommendation that called for the fence to be removed and potentially replaced by one that meets current Westwood standards. The SUP was sent back to the planning commission to look for comprise. Since November, neighbors had appeared at several meetings to complain about the fence and Entercom’s lack of response to their concerns.
The SUP contains several stipulations, including provisions that Entercom keep the property in good repair and free of debris. The planning commission approved the agreement Monday. The office building at the site is no longer used by the company. The property sits in a residential neighborhood not far from Westwood View Elementary School.
