The Edgartown planning board voted to approve the installation of an 115-foot permanent AT&T cell tower on Chappaquiddick at a packed meeting Tuesday evening.

The vote was 4 to 1 with the lone dissenting vote coming from board member Lucy Morrison.

The approval marks the end of nearly six years of deliberations involving AT&T, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and the planning board over the necessity of the tower and the permitting process.

The tower will be built at 14 Sampson avenue and AT&T can begin construction as soon as next year, pending negotiations on the construction schedule and design of the pole between AT&T and the planning board.

There is currently a temporary 104-foot pole at the location providing limited cell service.

Public outcry over aesthetics and perceived health effects from building the tower near residential properties also contributed to delays in the project.

At the meeting, several board members stressed that they had debated the project for long enough and the tower is now crucial to public safety, especially in light of the recent spate of winter northeasters.

“The benefits far outweigh the detriments,” said board member James Cisek. “This would be the first step in providing a service that’s needed.”

Board member Fred Mascolo added that six years is the longest that the board has ever deliberated on an issue. He echoed that improved cell reception on Chappaquiddick is vital when an emergency strikes.

“The worst thing that could happen is to stall out and wait and wait and not have a tower,” Mr. Mascolo said.

But Lucy Morrison expressed frustration over what she saw as a lack of consideration for alternative locations for the tower. She pointed to Majane Lane as a possible location that hadn’t received enough attention.

“I don’t feel like alternative sites were vetted fairly enough through our process and through the commission,” Ms. Morrison said. “I have specific questions about this specific site that haven’t been answered yet.”

Planning board assistant Georgiana Greenough disagreed and said the board had already explored multiple other locations. She added that it wasn’t the planning board’s job to pick the location, just to approve or disapprove of locations presented to them by AT&T.

“We had about seven different properties owned by the town in very good locations and we couldn’t get them by,” Ms. Greenough said. “It’s not like other places hadn’t been vetted.”

Ms. Morrison claimed that at a previous meeting an AT&T representative had said the company would be okay with building on alternative proposed sites if 14 Sampson avenue wasn’t approved. She asked Dan Bilezikian, an AT&T site acquisition specialist present at the meeting, to clarify.

“AT&T’s position is that 14 Samson avenue is the best location,” he said.

After nearly an hour of discussion, the board decided to move the question. Planning board alternate Scott Morgan, who lives near a cell tower in Edgartown, gave the final opinion.

“I live closer to a cell tower than anyone else in this room,” he said. “Do I like it? No. Has it disrupted my life? No. It has not affected my life negatively at all.”

No testimony was taken during the meeting, but Sampson avenue abutter Robert Strayton made it clear the fight wasn’t over and that he would press litigation.

“I want to go on the record that I formally object,” he said.