The requirements of this section apply to all wireless telecommunications towers and antennas erected, constructed, placed or replaced in the city. All wireless telecommunication towers and antennas shall be designed and situated to be visually unobtrusive to minimize the impact upon the neighboring uses and shall conform to the following design and siting criteria.
(A) Setbacks. The minimum setback from any property line or public right-of-way for a wireless telecommunications tower is 30 feet unless abutting a residential district, then at least half the height of the tower. Where placed on a lot improved with a principal building, the wireless telecommunication tower shall be located only in the rear yard or interior side yards not abutting streets. Wireless telecommunication towers shall not be placed between the principal building and any street abutting the property. Setbacks for accessory equipment structures associated with wireless telecommunication towers and antennas shall meet the requirements as outlined in § 160.055(D) of this chapter.
(B) Accessory equipment structures. The base transceiver station and all other related equipment shall be housed in an existing building whenever possible. If an existing building is unavailable, a new accessory equipment building may be constructed according to State Building Code requirements and shall be of the same or better construction, design and appearance as any principal structure or adjacent buildings. If the equipment is to be housed in a weather-proof cabinetlike structure in lieu of a building, it shall be mounted upon a suitable concrete pad.
(C) Fencing. The wireless telecommunication antenna tower and/or accessory equipment structure shall be surrounded with an eight-foot fence so as to prevent unauthorized entry and access to the equipment building or tower. Barbed wire, razor wire or electrified fences shall not be permitted.
(D) Landscaping and screening. The wireless telecommunication tower and/or accessory equipment building shall be landscaped and screened with a mixture of six-foot tall evergreens and one and one-half inch caliper ornamental deciduous trees at a ratio of four evergreens per every one deciduous tree, spaced no less than eight feet apart on center so as to achieve at least a 50% opaque screen. Trees may be clustered to create a more natural appearance to the screening. In addition to these landscape requirements, wireless telecommunication towers and/or accessory equipment buildings located on city-owned land or in the CRP Zoning District shall include a mix of shrubbery and/or flowering perennials in order to enhance and complement the natural features and environmental value of the city’s parks and recreation areas. The landscaping plan shall be reviewed by the City Forester and approved by the City Council as part of a conditional use permit (CUP) or by the Director of Community Development and City Forester, if the wireless telecommunication tower or antennas is allowed as a permitted use. The City Council or Director of Community Development and City Forester, as applicable, may waive the landscaping and/or screening requirements upon request of the applicant if the existing landscaping and screening is deemed sufficient.
(E) Color. The wireless telecommunication tower and antenna shall be of a neutral color such as light grey or sky blue, except as dictated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and be designed to minimize visibility and to blend into the surrounding environment.
(F) Construction type and materials. The wireless telecommunication tower shall be of a monopole construction unless a variance is granted by the Board of Adjustment and Appeals. Guy-wired towers shall not be permitted. Metal towers shall be constructed of, or treated with, corrosive-resistant materials.
(G) Roof-mounted wireless telecommunication antennas. Roof-mounted wireless telecommunication antennas shall not be permitted on buildings with pitched-roofs, unless they are stealth antennas incorporated into upward thrusting architectural elements, such as a church steeple, spire or belltower, smokestack and the like. On flat roofs, the height of the antennas and mounting hardware may not be more than ten feet above the highest point of the roof to which the antennas is attached.
(H) Structurally-mounted wireless telecommuni- cations antennas. Telecommunication antennas mounted upon sides of buildings shall be attached flush against building side, not to protrude more than the depth of the antennas. Structurally mounted antennas not affixed to towers shall be made to blend into the design and contours of the structure, unless roof-mounted in accordance with division (G) above.
(I) Prevention of radiation. Wireless telecommunication antennas shall be subject to state and federal regulations regarding non-ionizing radiation and other health hazards related to such facilities. If the federal government adopts new, more restrictive standards, the antennas shall be made to comply or the antenna shall be removed by the owner or the city at the tower owner’s expense. The owner or operator of the tower shall pay any associated costs of compliance verification.
(J) Lights. No wireless telecommunication tower or antenna shall have affixed or attached to it in any way except during time of repair or installation, any lights, reflectors, flashers, day-time strobes or steady night time light or other illumination devices, except as required by the Federal Aviation Agency, the Federal Communications Commission or the city. This restriction against lights shall not apply to towers which have been combined with light standards for illumination of ball fields, parking lots, playgrounds or other similar public uses, as provided in § 160.397(B) of this chapter for city-owned land and CRP Districts.
(K) Signs and advertising. The use of any portion of a tower for signs or advertising, other than required warning signs, shall be prohibited.
(L) Other attachments. No antennas or tower shall have constructed thereon, or attached thereto, any platform, catwalk, crows’ nest or like structure for the purpose of human support, except during periods of construction or repair.
(M) Interference with public safety telecommunications. No new or existing telecommunications service shall interfere with public safety telecommunications.
(Prior Code, § 1124.05) (Ord. 588, passed 02-10-1997; Ord. 793, passed 01-30-2008)