Freestanding towers shall meet the following requirements:
(a) Distance from Residential Dwelling Units.
(.1) Towers in all Residential and CMX-1 districts shall not be located within 500 ft. of a lot line of any residential dwelling unit, provided that where a fall zone of greater than 500 ft. is required, the greater fall zone distance shall apply.
(.2) Towers in all Commercial districts other than CMX-1 and in all Industrial districts shall not be located within 250 ft. of a lot line of any residential dwelling unit, provided that where a fall zone of greater than 250 ft. is required, the greater fall zone distance shall apply.
(b) Minimum Lot Size.
New towers may be erected only on lots with a minimum area of 2,000 sq. ft.
(c) Setback and Height Requirements.
Buildings and structures associated with a newly erected tower (excluding antennas and antenna towers or support structures) must comply with the setback and height requirements of the zoning district in which they are located.
(d) Screening.
(.1) A continuous evergreen screen must be provided around all newly erected towers. The screen may consist of a hedge or a row of evergreen trees. The evergreen screen must be a minimum of six ft. in width with a minimum height of six ft. at time of planting, with a minimum 15-foot height at maturity.
(.2) All structures, buildings and equipment accessory to antennas placed on an existing structure that is not located within the existing structure must be screened with materials compatible with the existing structures, buildings, or equipment at the time of planting.
(.3) The vegetative species to be used for required screening must be selected from a list of trees recommended by the Commission. If the Commission determines that existing structures, buildings, vegetation, topography, or other natural features achieve the same level of screening as required above and informs L&I in writing of this finding, the requirements of this subsection may be modified or waived.
(e) Height Limit.
Ground- and building-mounted towers may not exceed the greater of 60 ft. in height above the average ground level at the base of the tower or building or the maximum building height allowed in the subject zoning district.
(f) Fall Zone.
Within the lot where the facility is located, there shall be a fall zone around the entire tower whose radius is equal to the height of the tower at its highest point.
(g) Fencing.
Unless located on an existing building, towers must be completely enclosed by a six-foot tall chain link or similar fence. The entire fence must be located behind the required landscape screen and the required setback.
(h) Guy Wires.
All guy wires and guyed towers must be clearly marked so as to be visible at all times. All guy wires shall be a minimum of 10 ft. from a property line of the facility.
(i) Lighting.
All lighting, other than required by the FAA, must be shielded and reflected away from abutting properties.
(j) Special Exception Decision-Making Criteria.
In all locations in which freestanding towers require special exception approval, the applicant must:
(.1) submit a definition of the area of service needed for coverage or capacity;
(.2) submit information showing that the proposed facility would provide the needed coverage or capacity;
(.3) submit a map showing all alternate sites from which the needed coverage could also be provided, indicating the zoning for all such sites;
(.4) show why alternate sites that would not require special exception approval have not been proposed;
(.5) demonstrate that existing facilities cannot accommodate the proposed antennas within the service area and that an existing public, community, or institutional facility cannot accommodate the proposed antennas within the service area;
(.6) demonstrate that they cannot co-locate the antenna within the service area;
(.7) demonstrate, by presenting technological evidence, that the tower must be located at the proposed site in order to satisfy the needs of the applicant's wireless grid system;
(.8) allow other wireless service providers using similar technology to co-locate on the tower;
(.9) demonstrate how the site will be designed to accommodate future multiple users; and
(.10) demonstrate that the proposed tower will preserve the preexisting character of the surrounding buildings and land use as much as possible. All components of the proposed tower must be integrated through location and design to be compatible with the existing characteristics of the site to the extent practical. Existing on-site vegetation must be preserved or improved, and the disturbance of the existing topography must be minimized, unless such disturbance would result in less visual impact on the surrounding area; and
(.11) demonstrate that the applicant has advertised in a newspaper of general circulation, at least 21 days prior to the public hearing, notice of the application, which shall, in addition to the information included on the posting notice, give notice of the pending hearing and of individuals rights to appear at the hearing to apprise the Zoning Board of their concerns regarding the proposed facility. This provision shall be satisfied by presenting to the Zoning Board, at the time of the public hearing, a copy of the newspaper containing the advertisement.