(A) Purpose. The purpose of this subchapter is to establish general guidelines for the siting and size of towers and antennas.
(B) Goals. The goals of this subchapter are to:
(1) Minimize the total number of towers throughout the city;
(2) Encourage strongly the joint use of new and existing tower sites;
(3) Encourage users of towers and antennas to locate them, to the extent possible, in areas where the adverse impact on residential areas of the city is minimal;
(4) Encourage users of towers and antennas to configure them in a way that minimizes the adverse visual impact of the towers and antennas; and
(5) Enhance the ability of the providers of personal wireless services to provide such services throughout the city quickly, effectively and efficiently.
(C) Necessity. Accordingly, the City Council finds that the promulgation of this subchapter is warranted and necessary:
(1) To direct the location of towers in the city;
(2) To protect residential areas and land uses from potential adverse impacts of towers through proper engineering and siting of antennas and their support structures;
(3) To minimize adverse visual impacts of towers through careful design, siting, landscape screening and innovative camouflaging techniques;
(4) To accommodate the growing need for towers; and
(5) To promote and encourage shared use/co-location of existing and new towers as a primary option rather than construction of additional single-use towers, and to reduce the number of such structures needed in the future.
(D) New uses. All new towers and antennas shall comply with this subchapter after the date of passage.
(E) Existing uses.
(1) All towers and antennas existing on the date of passage of this subchapter shall be allowed to continue their usage as they presently exist.
(2) Routine maintenance shall be permitted on such existing towers and antennas.
(3) New construction other than routine maintenance on existing towers and antennas shall comply with the requirements of this subchapter.
(Ord. 97-4, passed 3-20-1997; Ord. 98-6, passed 2-2-1998; Ord. 99-16, passed 3-2-1999)