(A) General criteria. In addition to the other design standards of this chapter (including, if applicable, § 154.147), all of the following criteria shall be applied by the City Manager or designee in connection with the processing of any telecommunication permit.
(1) All telecom facilities approved under this chapter shall utilize the most efficient and diminutive available technology in order to minimize the number of facilities and reduce their visual impact.
(2) Roof-mounted antennas shall be screened from view from adjacent properties and the public ROW. The screening may include parapets, walls, or similar architectural elements provided they are designed, colored, and texturized to integrate with the existing architecture of the building.
(3) When located on a building facade, building-mounted antennas shall be recessed and covered with an RF-transparent and visually opaque material of a color and texture to match the existing building, or effectively disguised as may be reasonably determined by the City Manager or designee.
(4) The use of compatible materials such as wood, brick, or stucco shall be required for accessory equipment structures/buildings, which shall be designed to architecturally blend with the exterior of structures within the area.
(5) For ground-mounted installations, support equipment may be required to be screened in a security enclosure approved by the City Manager or designee. Such screened security enclosures may use bricks or masonry or may consist of an alternate enclosure design approved by the City Manager or designee. In general, the screening enclosure shall be architecturally compatible with surrounding materials and colors. Chain link, barbed wire and razor wire fencing shall be prohibited. Buffer landscaping may also be required if the City Manager or designee determines that additional screening is necessary due to the location of the site and that irrigation water is available.
(6) Telecom facilities, including, but not limited to, antennas, support structures, equipment structures, and related structures and equipment shall be designed, constructed, and maintained in accordance with the Uniform Building, Mechanical, Electrical, and other applicable codes, laws, and regulations, as enforced by the Division of Building and Safety, to assure that all such facilities will maintain their structural integrity despite the effects of the elements.
(B) Camouflage. All telecom facilities shall be camouflaged with architectural integration techniques for buildings and pseudo-natural integration techniques for those antennas in a natural or landscaped environment to the greatest extent possible.
(1) Architectural integration concealment techniques include, but are not limited to:
(a) Transmission equipment placed completely within existing architectural features such that the installation causes no visible change to the underlying structure; and
(b) New architectural features that mimic the underlying building in architectural style, physical proportion, and quality of construction materials.
(2) Architectural features commonly used as architectural integration concealment include, but are not limited to, church steeples, cupolas, bell towers, clock towers, pitched faux-roofs and water tanks. Whether a wireless facility qualifies as an architecturally integrated facility depends on the context that exists at a given location and is evaluated on a case-by-case basis during the permit application process.
(C) Night lighting. Telecom facilities shall not be lighted except:
(1) For city-approved security lighting at the lowest intensity necessary for that purpose; and
(2) As necessary for the illumination of the flag of the United States, the flag of the State of California, or other similar flags, when such flag(s) are attached to the telecom facility. Such lighting shall be shielded so that direct illumination does not shine on nearby properties. The City Manager or designee shall consult with the police department regarding proposed security lighting for telecom facilities on a case-by-case basis.
(D) Signs and advertising. No advertising signage or identifying logos shall be displayed on any telecom facility except for small identification, address, warning, and similar information plates approved by the City Manager or designee.
(E) Noise. Telecom facilities and all accessory equipment and transmission equipment must comply with all noise regulations, and shall not exceed, either individually or cumulatively, the applicable ambient noise limit in the subject zoning district. The City Manager or designee may require the applicant to incorporate appropriate noise-baffling materials and/or strategies whenever necessary to avoid any ambient noise from equipment reasonably likely to exceed the applicable limit.
(F) Site security measures. Telecom facilities may incorporate reasonable and appropriate site security measures, such as fences, walls, and anti-climbing devices, to prevent unauthorized access, theft, or vandalism. Site security measures must be designed to enhance concealment to the maximum extent possible, such as installing equipment within a decorative masonry wall rather than within a fence. The City Manager or designee may require additional concealment elements as the City Manager or designee finds necessary to blend the security measures and other improvements into the natural and/or built environment. The City Manager or designee shall not approve barbed wire, razor wire, electrified fences, or any similar security measures visible to the public.
(G) Backup power sources. The City Manager or designee may approve permanent backup power sources and/or generators on a case-by-case basis. The city strongly discourages backup power sources mounted on the ground or on poles within the public ROW. The City Manager or designee shall not approve any diesel generators or other similarly noisy or noxious generators, in or within 250 feet from any residence; except for permanently installed back-up generators only used during area-wide loss of power and routine testing, and when found to be in compliance with the city's General Plan noise element objectives, at which a smaller setback may be established; and provided, however, the City Manager or designee may approve sockets or other connections used for temporary backup generators.
(H) Colocation. All new telecom operators shall collocate with other existing and/or planned telecom facilities whenever feasible. Operators are encouraged to collocate with other existing facilities such as water tanks, light standards (SCWFs) and other utility structures where the colocation is found to minimize the overall visual impact of the new facility. Colocation of SCWFs on light standards/poles, traffic lights, or other structures located within the public ROW shall be subject to the requirements of § 154.145.
(Ord. 2021-03, passed 12-7-2021)