(A) Co-location. Communications towers shall be designed for and shall permit the co-location of future wireless telecommunications facilities. Each application for a new tower shall include a statement, to be separately signed by the owner of an authorized agent, acknowledging that the tower will be designed and constructed to accommodate the equipment of at least five competitive carriers, and agreeing to provide for the shared use of the tower at reasonable and prevailing market lease rates.
(B) Fall zone. Communications towers shall be located on the site so as to provide for a fall zone in which no structures may be placed except associated structures for wireless telecommunications equipment, storage sheds, garages, and other unpopulated buildings. The purpose of the fall zone is to safeguard citizens and property during hurricanes and other storms from the dangers of a falling or collapsing tower structures and windborne objects or debris from the structure. The fall zone shall consist of the area surrounding the tower calculated as follows:
(1) From the base of the tower toward the nearest lot line of any lot containing a single-family, two-family, or multifamily dwelling, a distance equal to 125% of the height of the tower;
(2) From the base of the tower toward any other lot line, a distance equal to 50% of the height of the tower, except that if any populated building is closer to the tower than the distance equal to the height of the tower, the fall zone shall be equal to 75% of the distance from the tower to the nearest such building. For purposes of the division, a
POPULATED BUILDING means any building in which human activity is regularly carried on.
(3) Setbacks. Wireless telecommunications facilities shall meet the setback requirements for the district in which they are located. For purposed of this subchapter, all buildings and other structures for communications equipment shall be considered part of the principal use for setback requirements.
(C) Lot size. Telecommunications towers shall not be located on any lot less than 20,000 square feet in area, or the minimum lot size for the zoning district, whichever is greater.
(D) Height. Wireless telecommunications facilities shall not exceed the following height limitations:
(1) Communications towers. The maximum height of a tower shall be 160 feet, measured from the average existing level of the ground surrounding the tower and within ten feet thereof to the highest point of the tower, including any antenna or other appurtenances.
(2) The maximum height of a building-mounted or pole-mounted antenna shall be 20 feet above the highest point of the roof (excluding chimneys and other appurtenances) or of the pole.
(3) The maximum height of a disguised facility not located in an existing building shall be 60 feet.
(E) Lighting. Telecommunications towers and antennas shall not be illuminated and shall not display any lights unless:
(1) One or more lights are specifically required by the FAA or other governmental authority; and
(2) The requirement for lights cannot be eliminated by reducing the height of the tower and/or antenna to the minimum height at which its intended use is feasible.
(F) Signs.
(1) Each telecommunications tower site shall display a non-illuminated identification sign containing the corporate name of the owner and an emergency telephone number. At the owner's option, the sign may also contain a corporate logo and/or a mailing address, but no other information or graphics. The sign shall be:
(a) Made of durable, graffiti-resistant material;
(b) Not greater than three square feet in area or four feet high;
(c) Posted in a place visible to the general public.
(2) No other signs shall be displayed on the tower or at the site unless expressly required by a federal or state agency.
(G) Accessory equipment structures. Accessory equipment structures at tower sites shall not contain more than 2,400 square feet of gross floor area for all accessory equipment for all carriers, or be more than eight feet in height. Accessory equipment structures may be partially or completely located underground, and underground space shall not be counted in determining the maximum size of the structure. No externally visible accessory equipment structures shall be allowed in connection with building-mounted facilities, disguised facilities, or pole-mounted antennas except as otherwise permitted by this subchapter.
(H) Aesthetics. The applicant shall successfully demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Board that the proposed telecommunications facility will have minimal visual impact. The term MINIMAL VISUAL IMPACT means that there are no other reasonably available sites in the town that will provide the same level of wireless telecommunications service with less visual impact than the proposed facility, as measured by the standards set forth in this section. The fact that another site would require more towers or other facilities to achieve the same level of service may be taken into consideration, but shall not be determinative if the other site would have less overall visual impact. In determining whether the minimal visual impact requirement has been satisfied, the Board shall consider, among other factors:
(1) The height of the proposed tower as compared to the height of other nearby structures, the elevation of the site, and the distance from which the tower would be observable from various locations in the town;
(2) The exterior components of building-mounted facilities shall be of a color that is identical to, or closely compatible with, the color of the building and shall be located on the building at the point of least visibility to persons on adjacent property, unless such location is shown to be impractical for substantial reasons.
(3) Pole-mounted antennas shall be of a color that is identical to, or closely compatible with, the color of the structure on which they are mounted.
(4) Telecommunication tower sites shall be landscaped with a buffer of plant materials that effectively screens the view of the base of the tower and any accessory equipment structures from adjacent property. Existing mature tree growth and natural land forms on the site shall be preserved to the maximum extent possible. In some cases, such as when towers are sited on large, wooded lots, natural growth around the property perimeter may be a sufficient buffer. In locations where the visual impact of the tower, particularly on residential lots, would be minimal, the landscaping requirements may be reduced or waived.
(I) Security. All wireless telecommunications facilities shall be protected against access by children and other unauthorized persons to the maximum extent reasonably possible for the type and location of the facility. Security measures shall include vandal-resistant design of accessory equipment structures.
(1) Telecommunications towers, including any guy wires and accessory equipment structures, shall be surrounded at a minimum distance of ten feet with opaque climb-resistant fencing eight feet high. Gates allowing access to the tower shall be of the same material and height as the fence and shall be equipped with strong weather-proof locks. Any ladder or other means of climbing to the tower shall be separately protected against unauthorized climbing by a lock or other means.
(2) Telecommunications equipment inside building-mounted facilities shall be designed and located to insure limited access for authorized persons only, such as by locating it in a separate lockable room, cage or box, and access to antennas attached to the roof of the building shall be through a lockable door.
(3) Telecommunications equipment inside disguised facilities in existing structures shall be disguised and located to insure limited access for authorized persons only, such as by locating it in a separate lockable room, cage or box.
(Ord. passed 10-30-06)