Agenda - Planning Commission - 03/06/2000

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£edcral bw makes d~¢ tower owner, not ~ust ~h¢ wlrele~ servlc,- I~ ~ ~nt~ ~e te~ '~ow~" includ~ my ~c~ ~e ~em~ ~mib[li~i~ ~volv~ m~dple ~e ~ orGY, ~ ~[~ plm ~1~ for to I~e ci~ pr~ ~r ~~ion tower l~ht ~1~ ~ ~ s~ f~ ~ti~ of~~ ~u~m~ ~ ~ f~ a f~ ~ o~ ~i~. Cellular Towers: What You Need t. Know, Wltat Need to Most ordinances require some setback from adjoining property lines. Setback distances are the minimum distance between the rower and the site's lo~ l~nes. The~ are u~ually expressed as a percem:age of rower height. In tower siting, setbacl~ are useful for their aesthetic impact and to establish safe mne~ for falling tower debris or collapse. Prince George's CounW, Maryland has adopted an ex'censive ordinance with s~ndax& that affecx the iratalladon of towe~, the equipment building, and accorapanying lan&raping. The ordinance i~cludes a secdor~ that not only ~eta Se heig~ and the setback requirement& but: also staxes what color the tower ramt b~ painted. Durham, North C~'~lim includes section on "Dimensions* in its o~linance. This sectior~ includes specifm d[memion requirements for towe~ as well as ~tbacl~, minimum lot she and b~e-rs. Lil~ communities, ~e Ci~ of Roswdl, Georgia adopted an ordinance requiring a setback equal to the heist of the tow~ While numem~s studies have been conducted by sciend~s, study can s~cce~u[ly alleviate concerns wid~ po~[dve proof r. lxat there are ab~[utely no health risks associated wi~ the rad[ofrequency em~io~ emar~adng from ant~m~ and other wirele~ facilitie~ Some localiti~ such as Oldl~m Cotm~, Kentucky, Jefferson Counw, Colorado, Mulmomah Coanty, Oregon, and King Cotm~, Washingt~, use sefir, u:ks in an effort m addre~ the issue of potential health risl~ of elec~omagnefc radiatiom For example, d~e Jefferson Counw, Colorado telecommunk:ation plan s~,ge~ practical mea~ares to red.ce exposu~ to resident, such a~ placement of facilities on tall, ex.lng towers or · ~ildings, an adequate b;.-ffer separating towers fxom residemial and commerOaI uses, and a calm~ of expected radiofrequmq, b~els for the habitable proposed tower. In Green~ N~ York's ordinance, the health issue b ~Idressed by creating a ~ to monitor antenn.~ to rmke ~.u'e r/'~t ~leml emission stand~:ls ~re met.. It ~s financed by m escrow account nude up of a percentage Aesthetics Another major comideradon for many communities is the aesthetic qualiq, of celhlar cowet~ and their compatibility with adjoirdng Ixoperty. In order to mak~tain the aesthetic and h~ori¢ nature of Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. a cellular tower ha~ been camouflaged as a tree. Other ~owers have been mounted on billboards or hidden in c~urch s~eeples. The Orange County, Florida ordinance requires careful desigru sitix~ ~i~ r~.ning, mol camouflaging to ma~tain the aesdxetic qualit~ of the sun'o~ area. It requke~ [ar~:ap[ng mc[ scr~..ning mat'erla[s to ~e immlled including row of shade crees a minimum of 8 feet tall and a maxknum of 10 feec apart planted around the perimeter of r. he fence; and a continuous hedge at least 30 inches high at plan~g capable of growing to at least 36 inches in height within 18 numths planted in front of the tree line referenced above." A Jefferson Parish, Louisiana ordinaru:e requires certain towe~ to I:~ disguised as t~ee, and be ~aemtueti~Iy and archit ~e~zmally compatible wi~ the environment." Ae~.hctic comideradons and requirements extend to ~e treatment of wireless facilities when placed on hal[dings, whether historic or contemporary. The San Francisco, Calffomia ordinance e~tablbhes guidelines fi~r rooftop installadon of antennas. The ?lano, Texa~ ordinance allows an ~TIT~ ~,1 4~ ~nnM~n L66~-£~-XUbl