Richard Gere v Bedford: Star enrages homeowners by approving cell tower at his 14-acre NY hotel property
BEDFORD, NEW YORK: Richard Gere has supported the construction of a new cell tower in the town of Bedford and that has enraged his neighbors including Jerry Seinfeld's sister and the parents of actors Rooney and Kate Mara. Gere, who owns the Bedford Post Inn in Westchester County with real estate developer Russell Hernandez, is offering property on their 14-acre estate.
The aim behind it is said to improve communications for emergency responders and fill the service gaps in one of America's wealthiest neighborhoods. If accepted, the location will result in a legal dispute Verizon had after the Bedford Planning Board turned down two earlier site proposals. However, an increasing number of wealthy people, like NFL “royal” Kathleen Rooney Mara, are upset about the impending tower, reported New York Post.
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Verizon sued the town of Bedford in July 2021 in an effort to overturn the decision to reject the tower's first two proposed locations. According to the corporation, the Federal Telecommunications Act requires a location to be found in order to close the gaps in cell coverage. However, the action has been put on hold while the Bedford Post Inn site is examined.
Mara, whose family owns the Pittsburgh Steelers, has resided in Bedford for the past 39 years with her husband Chris Mara, the late Wellington Mara's son and senior vice president of player evaluation for the New York Giants. In a location Mara referred to as "magical" in an email to the planning board on November 21, the couple raised their four children there, which included actresses Kate, 39, and Rooney, 37.
“In the winter I have a gorgeous vista,” the message reads. “And I look forward to it every year. Now I’ll be looking at an ugly tower that will soon be obsolete if the location is approved.” The only way ahead, according to Mara, is a cell tower that is significant "less intrusive." The New York Post reported that the tower will probably be replaced by satellites in the future due to developments in wireless technology. “I don’t understand why they would want to have it there,” she said on Friday, December 16, of the proposed site at the Bedford Post Inn. “Isn’t that how everybody is? Like, not in my backyard or whatever, you know?”
In an email to the town on December 8, Carolyn Liebling, who is opposed to the tower as well, pleaded with them to look for a different location. In the email, Carolyn, who manages her brother Jerry Seinfeld’s career, and her husband Larry insisted that the 12 acres they have owned for 17 years have "weaved their way" into their souls and are a "sanctuary" that should not be disturbed by a cell tower. “[T]he decision you make will affect the life of our family if you put the cell tower practically in our backyard,” Liebling and her husband wrote to the planning board. The Lieblings and two other neighbors are currently asking a judge in the Southern District of New York for a pre-motion conference in order to stop the construction of the 130-foot cell tower, the associated equipment, and the new access road that will be necessary to slit through a hillside to make room for it.
In the meantime, Roxanne Spruance, Gere's executive chef and co-owner of the Michelin-rated The Barn bistro at the Bedford Post Inn, is blaming her boss and his partner for conspiring with Ellen Calves, the town supervisor, to obtain a "quid pro quo" in exchange for helping the town settle Verizon's lawsuit. Spruance, 38, claimed at a planning board meeting on December 5 that Gere and Hernandez's long-delayed expansion plans for the hotel were unexpectedly approved in late September. This would have allowed for the construction of 10 extra guest rooms, a pool, and a spa at the establishment, where king deluxe suites go for $1,075 per night on the weekends. “I just want to make it very clear that the restaurant and the hotel are very separate,” Spruance told the Bedford Planning Board. “The actions of my landlords in thinking this was a good idea with Ellen is completely separate from my wishes [and] desires as a business owner.”
Calves rejected the unsubstantiated "quid pro quo" claims made by Spruance. “That statement is not based on reality or fact,” Calves said. “The owners of the inn have been working on expanding their operations and have had plans before various boards of the town for several years and all of those have been received with enthusiastic support.” Because they "care deeply" about first responders, Gere and Hernandez "generously offered," according to Calves. “It definitely came to our attention because they are working on their property, but in no way, shape or form was this idea put forward asking for any kind of favor or preferential treatment,” Calves said. “Their project was well underway and already on the path to approval.”
At a second public hearing beginning at 7:30 pm on Monday, December 19, the Bedford Planning Board will continue to examine Verizon's application to construct at 954 Old Post Road. Other well-known figures who call Bedford and the nearby hamlets of Bedford Village, Bedford Hills, and Katonah home include A-listers like Martha Stewart, George Soros, Ralph Lauren, Matt Damon, and the famous pair Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.