Proposed new telecommunication shall comply with the following development standards. Wireless telecommunications towers/facilities are permitted as a sole use on a lot or when combined with another use, subject to all existing regulations in each district and the following.
(A) The tower must be set back from any property line or existing structure off the lot on which the tower is to be located by a distance equal to the vertical height of the tower.
(B) The tower must not exceed 150 feet (including antenna) if designed for use by a single user; 175 feet if designed for use by two co-users; and 200 feet if designed for use by three co-users. Due to the proximity of the Akron-Canton Regional Airport, all wireless telecommunications towers must also receive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) clearance and concurrence of the FAA decision by the Airport Director before construction may proceed.
(C) The maximum size of the equipment shelter shall be 300 square feet, or, if there is more than one shelter, a total of 750 square feet.
(D) When a wireless telecommunications tower/facility is to be located on a property with an existing use:
(1) The existing use need not be affiliated with the wireless telecommunications provider;
(2) The wireless telecommunications facility shall be fully automated and unattended on a daily basis and shall be visited only for periodic and necessary maintenance (except during construction or an emergency); and
(3) The service access to the equipment shelter shall, whenever feasible, be provided along the circulation driveways of the existing use.
(E) Security fencing, eight feet in height, shall surround the tower, the equipment shelter and any guy wires, either completely or individually, as determined by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
(F) A vegetative screen shall be planted that consists of one row of a mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees or privet hedge planted five feet on center maximum. A landscaping plan is required to be submitted that indicates how the wireless telecommunications facility will be screened from adjoining properties.
(G) Existing vegetation (trees and shrubs) shall be preserved to the maximum extent possible.
(H) Any applicant requesting permission to install a new tower shall provide evidence of written contact with all wireless service providers who supply service within a mile of the proposed facility. The applicant shall inquire about potential co-location opportunities at all technically feasible locations. The contacted providers shall be requested to respond in writing to the inquiry within 60 days. The applicant shall present proof of mailing, as well as responses to the Planning and Zoning Commission as a means of demonstrating the need for a new tower. If a contacted wireless service provider fails to respond to a written request for co-location from the applicant within 60 days, the Planning and Zoning Commission may accept the nonresponse as proof that co-location on an existing tower is not feasible.
(I) No advertising is permitted anywhere on the facility, with the exception of identification signage.
(J) No trespassing signs shall be posted around the facility, with a telephone number of who to contact in the event of an emergency.
(K) Applicants will provide evidence of legal access to the tower site and maintain this access regardless of other developments that may take place on the site.
(L) No tower shall be artificially lighted, except to assure safety or as required by the FAA. Security lighting around the equipment shelter is prohibited, unless specifically requested by the applicant and a need is proved to the Planning and Zoning Commission.
(M) The tower shall be painted a neutral tone, i.e., desert sand/khaki, so as to minimize its visibility, unless otherwise required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
(N) Any application to locate an antenna on a building or structure that is listed in the city’s inventory of historic structures shall be subject to review by the Historic Preservation Commission.
(O) The electromagnetic field levels of the tower shall conform to the standards developed by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement (NCRP Report No. 86) or by the American National Standards Institute and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (ANSI/IEEE C95.1-1992).
(Prior Code, § 1478.05) (Ord. 98-6, passed 4-28-1998)