GENERAL WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

§ 116.40 CO-LOCATION REQUIREMENTS.

   All commercial wireless telecommunication towers erected, constructed, or located within the municipality shall comply with the following requirements.

   (A)   A proposal for a new commercial wireless telecommunication service tower shall not be approved unless the Advisory Plan Commission office or a technical consultant finds that the telecommunications equipment planned for the proposed tower cannot be accommodated on an existing or approved tower or building within a two mile search radius (one mile search radius for towers under 200 feet in height, one half mile search radius for towers under 100 feet in height) of the proposed tower due to one or more of the following reasons:

      (1)   The planned equipment would exceed the structural capacity of the existing or approved tower or building, as documented by a qualified and licensed professional engineer, and accommodate planned or equivalent equipment at a reasonable cost;

      (2)   The planned equipment would cause interference materially impacting the usability of other existing or planned equipment at the tower or building as documented by a qualified and licensed professional engineer and the interference cannot be prevented at a reasonable cost;

      (3)   Existing or approved towers and buildings within the search radius cannot accommodate the planned equipment at a height necessary to function reasonably as documented by a qualified and licensed professional engineer;

      (4)   Other unforeseen reasons that make it unreasonable to locate the planned telecommunications equipment upon an existing or approved tower or building.

   (B)   Any proposed commercial wireless telecommunication service tower shall be designed, structurally and electrically, in all respects to accommodate both the applicant’s antennas and comparable antennas for at least two additional users if the tower is over 200 feet in height or for at least one additional user if the tower is over 100 feet in height. Towers must be designed to allow for future rearrangement of antennas upon the tower and to accept antennas mounted at varying heights.

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§ 116.41 TOWER AND ANTENNA DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.

   Proposed or modified towers and antennas shall meet the following design requirements. Towers and antennas shall be designed to blend into the surrounding environment using monopole design when possible and through the use of color and camouflaging architectural treatment, except in instances where the color is dictated by federal or state authorities such as the Federal Aviation Administration.

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§ 116.42 TOWER HEIGHT.

   The maximum tower height permitted is calculated by applying the following.

   (A)   If the tower is designed to accommodate only one service provider, the maximum height shall be 100 feet from grade.

   (B)   If the tower is designed to accommodate two service providers, the maximum height shall be 200 feet from grade.

   (C)   If the tower is designed to accommodate more than two service providers, the maximum height shall be 350 feet from grade.

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§ 116.43 ACCESSORY UTILITY BUILDINGS.

   All utility buildings and structures accessory to a tower shall be architecturally designed to blend in with the surrounding environment and shall meet the minimum setback requirements of the Advisory Zoning Ordinance.

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§ 116.44 TOWER LIGHTING.

   Towers shall not be illuminated by artificial means and shall not display strobe lights unless the Federal Aviation Administration or other federal or state authority for a particular tower specifically requires such lighting.

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§ 116.45 ANTENNAS MOUNTED ON STRUCTURES, ROOFS, WALLS AND EXISTING TOWERS.

   The placement of wireless telecommunication antennas on roofs, walls, and existing towers may be approved by the City of Marion Advisory Plan Commission, provided the antennas meet the requirements of these regulations, after submittal of:

   (A)   A final site and building plan as specified by §§ 116.25 et seq.; and

   (B)   A report prepared by a qualified and licensed professional engineer indicating the existing structure or tower’s suitability to accept the antenna, and the proposed method of affixing the antenna to the structure. Complete details of all fixtures and couplings and the precise point of attachment shall be indicated.

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