(A) The following site and development requirements shall apply.
(1) A minimum site of one acre and 200 feet of road frontage shall be required.
(2) The appropriateness of guy wire shall be considered when the property abuts residential zoning district or use.
(3) The base of the tower and the guy wire supports shall be fenced with a minimum of six-foot high fence.
(B) The following special performance standards shall apply to communication towers.
(1) Communication towers must be set back from all property lines a distance equal to its height.
(2) Accessory structures are limited to uses associated with the operation of the tower and may not be located any closer to any property line than the minimum front yard requirements of the appropriate zoning district as found in § 153.049.
(3) Accessory structures shall not exceed 600 square feet of gross building area.
(4) All towers shall be equipped with an anti-climbing device to prevent unauthorized access.
(5) The plans of the tower shall be certified by a registered structural engineer.
(6) The applicant shall provide verification in that the antenna mount and structure have been reviewed and approved by a professional engineer and that the installation is in compliance with all applicable codes.
(7) All towers must meet the standards of the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration.
(8) Communication towers in excess of 100 feet in height above grade level shall be prohibited within a two-mile radius of a public airport or one-half mile of a helipad.
(9) No part of any communication tower or antenna shall be constructed, located, or maintained at any time, permanently or temporarily, on or upon any required setback area for the district on which the antenna or tower is to be located. In no case shall a tower or antenna be located within 30 feet of a property line.
(10) Metal towers shall be constructed of, or treated with, corrosive-resistant material.
(11) Antenna and metal towers shall be grounded for protection against a direct strike by lightning and shall comply as to electric wiring and connection with all applicable local statutes, regulations, and standards.
(12) Towers with antennas shall be designed to withstand a uniform wind loading.
(13) All signals and remote control conductors of low energy extending substantially horizontally above the ground between a tower or antenna and a structure, or between towers, shall be at least eight feet above the ground at all points, unless buried underground.
(14) Towers shall be located so that they do not interfere with reception in nearby residential area.
(15) Towers shall be located so that there is room for vehicles doing maintenance to maneuver on the property owned and/or leased by the applicant.
(16) The base of the tower shall occupy no more than 500 square feet.
(17) Minimum space between tower locations shall be one mile in order to prevent a concentration of towers in one area.
(18) Height of the tower shall not exceed 200 feet from the grade within a commercial zoning district, and 300 feet from grade within an industrial or agricultural zoning district.
(19) Towers shall not be artificially lighted except as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.
(20) Existing on-site vegetation shall be preserved to the maximum extent practicable.
(21) There shall not be displayed advertising or identification of any kind intended to be visible from the ground or other structures, except as required for emergency purposes.
(22) There shall be no employees located on the site on a permanent basis to service or maintain the communication tower. Occasional or temporary repair service activities are excluded from this restriction.
(23) Where the property adjoins any residential zoned property or land use, the developer shall plant two alternating rows of evergreen trees with a minimum height of five feet on 20-foot centers along the entire perimeter of the tower and related structures. In no case shall the evergreens be any nearer than ten feet of any structure.
(24) The policy of the community is to minimize the number of communication towers in the township. Therefore, the township shall require the co-location of communication towers. Pursuant to this policy, the following standards apply to the communication towers.
(a) All new and modified communication towers shall be designed and constructed so as to accommodate co-location.
(b) A conditional use permit for the construction and use of a new communication tower shall not be granted unless and until the applicant demonstrates that a feasible co-location is not available for the coverage area and capacity needs.
(c) The following information shall be submitted prior to the township approval to construct a communication tower:
2. A maintenance plan and any applicable maintenance agreement shall be presented and approved as part of the site plan of the proposed communication tower. Such plan shall be designed to ensure the long term, continuous maintenance to a reasonable prudent standard;
3. The application shall include a description of security to be posted at the time of receiving a building permit for the communication tower to ensure removal of the facility when it has been abandoned or is no longer needed. In this regard, the Planning Commission shall specify the form of security, as approved by the Township Attorney and recorded at the office at the County Registrar of Deeds, establishing a promise of the applicant and owner of the property to remove the facility in a timely manner as required under this section, with the further provision that the applicant and owner shall be responsible for the payment of any cost and attorney’s fees incurred by the community in securing removal. The security shall be adjusted on an annual basis according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Consumer Price Index annual average for U.S. cities in the north-central region of the United States; and
4. The name, address, and phone number of the person to contact for engineering, maintenance, and other notices purposed. This information shall be continuously updated during all times the facility is on the premises.
(Ord. 5, passed 1-18-1973)