Telecommunications facilities shall be located and designed so as to minimize their visibility. To this end, all of the following measures shall be implemented for new telecommunications facilities and antennas.
(a) Co-Location/Stealth Facilities.
(1) No new telecommunication facilities or antennas that are visible to the general public shall be installed on a site that is not already developed with telecommunication facilities or other public or quasi-public uses unless they have been designed to minimize or eliminate the visual obtrusiveness of the facility and meet all other requirements of this Chapter. New facilities that cannot meet these requirements may be approved when all of the following are provided:
(A) Evidence of infeasibility of co-location on another facility or joint location in an existing antenna farm, or clear evidence that co-location on an existing facility would result in a substantial impact; and
(B) Evidence of inability to stealth the facility based on technical or design considerations.
(2) To avoid excessive heights of towers that are associated with co-location of antenna arrays, co-location is not required in the Mountain Region.
(3) Towers that are designed to accommodate the co-location of additional providers in the future shall be initially constructed to the lowest possible height. When additional providers are ready to be installed, the additional height needed to accommodate the extra antenna array(s) shall be constructed at that time.
(b) Separation from Existing Facility. No telecommunications facility or antenna that is visible to the general public from off of the applicant’s property shall be installed closer than 2,000 feet from another visible telecommunications facility or antenna without a variance, unless it is a co-location or joint location facility. This provision shall not apply to situations where either the existing or the proposed telecommunications facility or antenna within 2,000 feet uses a camouflage or stealth design approved by the County. Antennas proposed to be mounted on existing utility towers, utility streetlights and utility poles, or their substantially similar replacements shall also be exempt from this requirement.
(c) Ridgeline Sites. Telecommunication facilities in areas of high visibility within sensitive viewsheds shall be sited below the ridgeline as viewed from a distance and designed to minimize their profile (e.g., screened, depressed, or located behind berms, trees, etc.).
(d) Non-Reflective Colors. Structures, poles, towers, antenna supports, antennas and other components of each telecommunication site shall be treated with non-reflective colors to provide concealment of the facilities.
(e) Camouflaging. For facilities that are not stealthed, telecommunication facilities and antennas and ground equipment shall blend with the predominant viewing background to the maximum extent practical, except when the treatment does not comply with Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) requirements.
(f) Support Facilities.
(1) Freestanding aboveground telecommunication support facilities (i.e., equipment shelters) shall be no taller than one story in height and shall be constructed to look like a structure or facility typically found in the area.
(2) Where there are no structures in the immediate vicinity or for projects where a cabinet is proposed, the support facilities shall be designed and constructed to blend with the predominant viewing background or screened from view by landscaping or other method to the maximum extent practical.
(g) Parking. Parking for service vehicles may be allowed on site. Paving or other surfacing shall be required in compliance with Chapter 83.11 (Parking and Loading Standards). Screening shall be required where appropriate.
(h) Lighting. Tower structure lighting shall be prohibited unless required by the FAA, FCC or the California Building Code (CBC). External structure and area lighting shall be allowed only where the lighting is activated and controlled by motion sensors.
(i) Outside Storage. No outdoor storage of equipment, materials or supplies shall be allowed.
(j) Area Disturbance. The applicant shall avoid or minimize disturbance to the natural landscape. Applicant shall repair disturbed areas immediately following construction and shall regularly check to ensure that disturbances to the natural landscape do not occur or are promptly repaired.
(k) Power and Communication Lines. No aboveground power or communication lines shall be extended to the site, unless clear and convincing evidence demonstrates that undergrounding these lines would result in substantial environmental impacts. Underground utilities shall be installed in a manner to minimize the disturbance of existing vegetation and wildlife habitats.
(Ord. 4011, passed - -2007)