Kennebunk voters approved a land-use agreement on Aug. 26 that will allow for a new cell tower to be constructed on town-owned land on Factory Pasture Lane.

At Tuesday’s special town meeting, voters showed majority support for the land-use agreement by raising green cards. The agreement is between the town of Kennebunk and Wireless EDGE, who will be responsible for constructing the tower. Wireless EDGE headquarters are in Rhinebeck, New York.

Kennebunk voters approved a land-use agreement on Aug. 26 that will allow for a cell tower to be constructed on town-owned land on Factory Pasture Lane. (Dan King/Community Editor)

The proposal for the tower will now go to the Planning Board. If approved, the tower is expected to provide better cell coverage for the downtown area, Director of Economic Vitality Stephen Houdlette said recently.

“It’s a longstanding need in terms of having better communication for the downtown area,” Houdlette said.

Houdlette also said that a new cell tower would improve communications and response times for emergency services, which Kennebunk Fire Chief Justin Cooper verified.

According to Cooper, the cell tower, the top of which will be reserved for emergency services, will help first responders better protect the community.

“Not voting this through puts that in jeopardy, and therefore puts you in jeopardy,” he said Tuesday.

At an Aug. 12 Kennebunk Select Board meeting, some residents said they were concerned about the timeline of the project moving too quickly, a concern that was echoed on Tuesday.

“There hasn’t been enough engagement so people are completely informed about this project,” Kennebunk resident Tom Errico said.

Despite concerns from some residents, the project was approved by voters and will continue to move forward. Wireless EDGE is expected to submit an application for the project this fall.