A. General Development Standards. Unless otherwise exempt pursuant to Section 17.76.040 (Exemptions), the following general development standards shall apply to all wireless telecommunication facilities.
1. All wireless telecommunication facilities shall comply with all applicable requirements of the current uniform codes as adopted by the city and shall be consistent with the general plan and this code, as well as other standards and guidelines adopted by the city, and all applicable state and federal law.
2. All wireless telecommunication facilities shall comply at all times with the FCC rules, regulations, and standards, and any other applicable federal, state, or local laws or regulations.
3. Sufficient anti-climbing deterrents, including warning signs (ANSI Standards C95.2-1982 Warning Symbol), shall be incorporated into the facility, as needed, to reduce the potential for trespass and injury.
4. To minimize overall visual impact, all new wireless telecommunication facilities shall be co-located with existing facilities and with other planned facilities, whenever feasible. In addition, whenever feasible, service providers are encouraged to co-locate antennas with other facilities such as water tanks, light standards, utility poles, and other utility structures, where the co-location is found to minimize the overall visual impact. To facilitate co-location in appropriate cases, conditions of approval shall require all applicants to cooperate in the siting of equipment and antennas to accommodate the maximum number of operators at a given site. The applicant shall agree, in writing, to allow future co-location of additional antennas and not to enter into a lease for the exclusive use of the site.
5. All wireless telecommunication facilities shall be located so as to minimize their visibility and utilize the latest technology available to minimize visual impacts.
6. Wireless telecommunication facilities shall be located, designed, and screened to blend with existing natural or built surroundings so as to reduce visual impacts of the technological requirements of the proposed wireless telecommunication facility and, in so far as possible, appear compatible with neighboring residences and the character of the community.
7. All related equipment shall have a non-reflective finish and shall be painted or otherwise treated to minimize visual impacts and placed in underground vaults whenever possible. All utilities (i.e., gas, electric, cable, phone, and water) shall be placed underground.
8. Building-mounted wireless telecommunication facilities are preferred to ground-mounted wireless telecommunication facilities. Development of wireless telecommunication facilities on vacant sites shall be temporary. When the site is developed, such facilities shall be removed and replaced with building-mounted wireless telecommunication facilities.
9. All wireless telecommunication facilities that are not mounted on existing structures shall comply with at least one (1) of the following:
a. Facilities shall be screened from the view of surrounding properties as much as possible and co-located with existing facilities or structures so as not to create substantial visual, noise, or thermal impacts;
b. Facilities shall be sited within areas with substantial screening by existing vegetation;
c. Facilities shall be designed to appear as natural features found in the immediate area, such as trees or rocks, so as to be effectively unnoticeable;
d. Facilities shall be screened with additional trees and other native or adapted vegetation that shall be planted and maintained around the facility, in the vicinity of the project site, and along access roads in appropriate situations, where such vegetation is required to screen telecommunication facilities. Such landscaping, including irrigation, shall be installed and maintained by the applicant, as long as the entitlement is in effect; or
e. Existing on-site vegetation shall be preserved or improved and disturbance of the existing topography shall be minimized. Landscaping shall be required in informal natural-looking clusters in the vicinity of any wireless telecommunication facility, in addition to screening of the facility.
10. All proposed equipment cabinets/structures, accessory structures, and other related equipment shall be continuously maintained in good condition. This shall include keeping equipment cabinets and structures graffiti-free and maintaining all security fences and warning signs in good condition.
11. The display of signs or advertising on wireless telecommunication facilities is prohibited.
12. Exterior lighting shall not be allowed on commercial wireless telecommunication facilities except for that required for use of authorized persons on-site during hours of darkness or where the antenna structure owner or registrant is required to light the antenna structure by the terms of the FAA antenna structure registration applicable to the facility.
13. Freestanding wireless telecommunication facilities shall not be located within the required setback of any residential development and shall be at least one-hundred (100) feet from a pre-existing residential use.
14. All freestanding wireless telecommunication facilities shall be designed at the minimum functional height required for the coverage area unless it is determined that additional height is needed for architectural reasons or is part of a city-approved plan to reduce the impact(s) of future installations.
15. In appropriate cases, the proposed wireless telecommunication facilities may be located on a city-owned or controlled property or within city rights-of-way, provided the appropriate applications are submitted, easements procured, and any other relevant procedures complied with.
B. Building-Mounted Antennas. In addition to all other applicable development standards listed above, wireless telecommunication facilities proposed to be mounted or attached to an existing building shall be reviewed by the designated approving authority for compliance with the following:
1. Building-mounted antennas and any related equipment shall be in scale and architecturally integrated with building design in such a manner as to minimize the visual impact of the wireless telecommunication facilities. Screening designs may include locating the facility within attics, steeples, or towers, behind and below parapets, or concealed with an architecturally compatible addition to a building.
2. Colors and materials of the antennas should match the existing building when attached directly to the façade of a building.
3. Wireless telecommunication facilities and all related equipment shall be located to minimize visibility from public places. Any visible portion of equipment shall be painted or treated to be architecturally compatible with the surrounding buildings and/or shall be screened, using appropriate techniques to camouflage, disguise, and/or blend into the surrounding environment, as determined by the designated approving authority.
4. Antennas shall be flush-mounted and located below the roof line of the building. Antennas and related equipment shall not project beyond a maximum of eighteen (18) inches from the face of the building.
C. Roof-Mounted Antennas. In addition to all other applicable development standards listed above, wireless telecommunication facilities proposed to be mounted or attached to the roof of an existing building shall be reviewed by the designated approving authority for compliance with the following.
1. All roof-mounted antennas and related equipment, other than antennas proposed to be located directly on the façade of a structure, shall be aesthetically compatible with and located as far away from the edge of the building as technically feasible as determined by the designated approving authority. Antennas attached to the building shall be painted or otherwise treated to match the exterior of the building or the antenna's background color.
2. Roof-mounted antennas shall not be allowed when they are to be placed in direct line of sight of scenic corridors or where they will significantly affect scenic vistas, unless the wireless telecommunication facilities incorporate appropriate techniques to camouflage, disguise, and/or blend them into the surrounding environment, as approved by the designated approving authority.
3. The height of roof-mounted antennas, including the support structure, shall not exceed fifteen (15) feet above the roof plate of the building to which they are attached.
4. Wireless telecommunication facilities and related equipment, if located on the rooftop of buildings, shall be located so as to be minimally visible from public places. If any portion of the equipment is visible, it shall be camouflaged or screened from view, to the fullest extent possible.
D. Ground-Mounted Antennas and Wireless Telecommunication Facilities on Major or Minor Ridgelines or Open Space Areas. In addition to all other applicable development standards listed above, wireless telecommunication facilities proposed to be ground-mounted antennas, proposed for location on a major or minor ridgeline, or proposed for location in an open space area, shall be reviewed by the designated approving authority for compliance with the following.
1. Wireless telecommunication facilities visible on or above a ridgeline or knoll, as shown on the general plan visual resources map (Figure 10.4), shall be prohibited unless, prior to approving the application, the designated approving authority determines that the applicant has demonstrated that there is no feasible alternative.
2. Wireless telecommunication facilities operated by different carriers shall not be allowed within one thousand (1,000) feet of another facility, unless the designated approving authority determines that the cumulative visual or other physical environmental impacts can be reduced by allowing such facilities to locate within one thousand (1,000) feet of one another.
3. All proposed wireless telecommunication facilities should be located within easy reach of existing access roads, whenever possible. Unless visual impacts can be adequately mitigated, no new access roads on a ridgeline or knoll shall be allowed with any proposed ground-mounted antenna.
4. All proposed wireless telecommunication facilities shall incorporate techniques and be designed as a stealth facility. Such techniques include camouflaging facilities to disguise and/or blend into the surrounding environment, or to disguise facilities as pieces of art or sculptures, flag poles, telephone poles, light standards, or other visual forms to avoid an adverse visual impact.
5. All related equipment shall be designed and located so as to minimize visual impacts and/or to be screened from public view. Screening techniques may include landscaping and/or architectural treatment to make them compatible with existing buildings and/or a partial or complete burial of the equipment.
E. Freestanding Antennas and Wireless Telecommunication Facilities on Major or Minor Ridgelines or Open Space Areas. In addition to all other applicable development standards listed above, wireless telecommunication facilities proposed to be freestanding antennas, proposed for location on a major or minor ridgeline, or proposed for location in an open space area shall be reviewed by the designated approving authority for compliance with the following:
1. All proposed wireless telecommunication facilities shall be located and designed to minimize visual impacts. When appropriate, monopoles or other wireless telecommunication facilities proposed in areas where adverse visual impacts cannot be avoided (as in some commercial areas) shall be camouflaged, disguised, and/or blended into the surrounding environment, or disguised as pieces of art/sculpture, flag poles, telephone poles, light standards, or other visual forms to avoid an adverse visual impact.
2. Wireless telecommunication facilities operated by different carriers shall not be allowed within one thousand (1,000) feet of one another unless the designated approving authority determines that the cumulative visual or other physical environmental impacts can be reduced by allowing such facilities to locate within one thousand (1,000) of one another.
3. The city may require applicants to construct a tower which is tall enough to accommodate two (2) additional wireless telecommunication facility applicants. This section shall not be interpreted to prevent the applicant from requiring future applicants to pay fair and reasonable rental for the use of the applicant's tower and/or other facilities.
4. All proposed wireless telecommunication facilities shall utilize the smallest and least visible antennas that meet the coverage objective.
5. Lightning arrestor rods and beacon lights shall not be included as part of the tower design, unless the applicant can demonstrate that such are necessary for safety reasons or that such are required by applicable FAA/FCC standards.
F. Wireless Telecommunication Facilities on Major or Minor Ridgelines or Open Space Areas. In addition to all other applicable development standards listed above, wireless telecommunication facilities proposed for location on a major or minor ridgeline, or proposed for location in an open space area, shall be reviewed by the designated approving authority for compliance with the following.
1. No wireless telecommunication facility shall be located within four hundred (400) horizontal feet of a major ridgeline and one hundred (100) horizontal feet of a minor ridgeline (as shown on Figure 10.4 of the General Plan) and within one hundred (100) vertical feet for both. The distance shall be measured from the peak of the ridge. An exception may be granted by the designated approving authority only if any of the following findings can be made:
a. Due to the specific location and design of the proposed facility, it will not be visible from surrounding properties or public view;
b. Due to existing development or existing vegetation at the site, the proposed facility will be substantially screened from the view of surrounding properties and public view and will not result in an adverse visual impact; or
c. The applicant can demonstrate that there is no feasible alternative.
2. Special design considerations, including designs which simulate natural features found in the immediate area, i.e., trees or rocks, may be taken into account by the designated approving authority when facilities are proposed within areas identified as major and minor ridgeline areas.
3. Development of a wireless telecommunication facility shall conform generally with the natural contours to avoid excessive grading. (Ord. 2010-02 § 1 (part), 2010)