A wireless telecommunications facility which includes a tower may be permitted as a conditional use in specific zoning districts in the City as provided herein and in residential districts as provided herein. In order to be considered for review, the applicant must prove that a newly constructed tower is necessary in that opportunities for collocation on an existing tower are not feasible. The following steps must also be taken for the application to be considered for review in this category and such review shall be subject to the criteria stated herein and the following requirements:
(a) The applicant shall present a landscaping plan that indicates how the wireless telecommunications facility will be screened from adjoining uses as required and according to the minimum conditions stated herein.
(b) The applicant shall demonstrate that the telecommunications tower must be located where it is proposed in order to service the applicant's service area. There shall be a written explanation of why a tower on the proposed site is technically necessary.
(c) Where the telecommunications facility is located on a property with another principal use, the applicant shall present documentation that the owner of the property has granted an easement or entered into a lease for the proposed facility and that vehicular access is provided to the facility.
(d) 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 quarter mile of the proposed facility. The applicant shall inquire about potential collocation opportunities at all technically feasible locations. The contacted providers shall be requested to respond in writing to the inquiry within thirty days. The applicant's letter(s), as well as response(s), shall be presented to the Planning Commission as a means of demonstrating the need for a new tower. A report prepared by a licensed professional engineer shall be included with the submitted application and shall contain the height, design and proof of compliance with nationally accepted structural standards published by the American National Standards Institute/Electronic Industry Association Section 222-F, as amended, and the Ohio Basic Building Code, whichever is more restrictive.
(e) A soil report complying with the standards of ANSI/EIA 22-F (Annex I: Geotechnical Investigations for Towers), as amended, shall be submitted through the Building Department to document and verify the site specifications for the foundation and the tower.
(f) Wireless telecommunications towers and antennas shall be designed to withstand sustained winds of at least eighty m.p.h. with one-half-inch icing, or not less than that required by the ANSI/EIA or the Ohio Basic Building Code, whichever is more restrictive. The ANSI/EIA 22-F (Annex H: Commentary on Ice Design Criteria for Communications Structures) shall be consulted for ice load specifications.
(g) Elevations of existing and proposed structures showing the width, depth, and height of the telecommunications facility, as well as the specifications of the antenna and support structure, shall be presented.
(h) The applicant shall present documentation that the tower is designed in accordance with the standards established in the use regulations section of the wireless telecommunications facilities section of the Zoning Code.
(i) The applicant shall demonstrate that the proposed tower complies with all Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations concerning safety.
(j) The applicant shall demonstrate that the proposed tower complies with all Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations addressing radio frequency emissions standards.
(k) When the proposed facility is to include a new tower, a plot plan, including all building uses within 500 feet, shall be required at a scale not less than one inch equal to twenty feet. Aerial photos and/or renderings may be required by the Planning Commission to augment the plot plan.
(l) All applicants shall be required to construct or locate on a base tower structure and structure foundation that is designed to be buildable up to 200 feet above the finished grade. Although the initial capacity may be for one antenna, the structure shall be designed to serve as a base for a reconstructed tower with the capacity for three other providers in addition to the applicant when constructed to the maximum allowable height.
(m) All provisions of the City Zoning Code applicable to conditional uses in general and requirements therefor shall apply hereto, and where there is a conflict with same between this chapter and the general provisions for conditional uses in the Zoning Code, the provisions of this chapter shall apply.
(Ord. 97-48. Passed 6-2-97.)