1156.03   MINIMUM STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATION TOWER FACILITIES.
   Except as may otherwise be provided in Sections 1156.01 and 1156.02, all wireless telecommunication tower facilities shall comply with the following standards:
   (a)   Design. All wireless telecommunication towers shall be of a monopole design, as opposed to a lattice design. Towers and antennas shall be designed to meet all Building Code requirements.
   (b)   Maximum Height of Tower and Related Facilities. A wireless telecommunication tower shall be less than 200 feet in height as measured from the average ground level at the base of the tower. The intent of this height restriction is to avoid the necessity for lighting of the tower. No equipment building for a wireless tower facility shall exceed ten feet in height from the building grade.
   (c)   Color. The color of the tower shall be non-fluorescent, and approved by the Building and Zoning Board of Appeals.
   (d)   Location with Another Use. A wireless telecommunication facility may be located on a lot with another use, provided the lot is within the WTTO District.
   (e)   Minimum Lot Area. The minimum lot area shall be the same as that required for the underlying zoning district and the lot area shall be sufficient to provide for all requirements of setbacks, yards and building coverage as specified in the underlying zoning district.
   (f)   Location of Tower on the Lot. A wireless telecommunication tower must comply with the setback and yard requirements applicable to principal buildings in the underlying zone in which it is located. Such tower must be placed upon the lot in such a way as to minimize the visual impact from adjoining streets, roads and properties.
   (g)   Spacing. There shall be a separation of at least one-quarter mile between wireless telecommunication towers.
   (h)   Fencing. Fencing shall be provided for public safety reasons. A fence of six feet in height shall be erected completely around the wireless telecommunication tower and any related support facilities. "No Trespassing" signs shall be posted around the wireless telecommunication facility with a telephone number of a person to contact in the event of an emergency.
   (i)   Buffer Zones. A landscaped buffer area of not less than fifteen feet in depth shall be placed between the wireless telecommunication facilities and the public rights-of- way and any adjacent properties from which a direct view can be had of the facilities, other than the tower itself. The fifteen-foot landscape buffer shall consist of a tight screen fence of hardy evergreen shrubbery not less than six feet in height. The landscaping shall be continuously maintained and promptly restored, if necessary.
   (j)   Outdoor Storage. Outdoor storage of any supplies, vehicles or equipment relating to the use of the wireless telecommunication facility is prohibited except during the initial facility construction period.
   (k)   Lighting. Except as required by law, no wireless telecommunication antenna or tower shall be illuminated, nor shall lighting fixtures or signs be attached to the antenna or tower. If lighting is required by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, no white strobe lights shall be permitted at night unless no other alternative is permitted by the FAA. Lighting for security purposes shall only be permitted at the wireless telecommunication facility with the prior approval of the Building and Zoning Board of Appeals.
   (l)   FCC Compliance. Prior to receiving a final inspection by the Code Enforcement Officer, documented certification shall be submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), with a copy to the Code Enforcement Officer, certifying that the wireless telecommunication facility complies with all current FCC regulations for non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation (NIER).
   (m)   Advertising. No advertising shall be permitted on a wireless telecommunication facility.
   (n)   Removal of Facilities.
      (1)   The owner or operator shall agree to remove a nonfunctioning wireless telecommunication facility within three months of ceasing its use. The owner/operator of the antenna and/or tower shall, on no less than an annual basis from the date of issuance of the zoning certificate, file a declaration with the Code Enforcement Officer as to the continuing operation of every facility which is subject to this section. The owner/operator of the antenna and/or tower shall sign a written consent agreeing to permit an annual inspection of the wireless telecommunication facility by the Code Enforcement Officer or his or her designee.
      (2)   The owner or operator shall be required, as a condition of issuance of a zoning certificate, to post a cash or surety bond acceptable to the Director of Law of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) per vertical foot from natural grade of the wireless telecommunication tower, which bond shall insure that an abandoned, obsolete or destroyed wireless telecommunication antenna or tower shall be removed within three months of cessation of use or abandonment. Any colocator on the tower shall be required to additionally execute such bond, as principal, to insure that the bond will be in place during the period of time that the colocator occupies the tower.
   (o)   Annual Inspection. Within sixty days prior to each anniversary date of the issuance of the zoning certificate for a wireless telecommunication facility, the owner/operator of such facility shall cause an inspection to be completed of the facility by a State-certified engineer, at the expense of the owner/operator, and a certificate as to the structural integrity and general safety of the entire facility and its components shall be issued by such engineer to the City within thirty days following such anniversary date.
(Ord. 4742. Passed 6-21-99.)