04-03-2003 Council Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

& TO: FROM: Mayor I’ctcrson and Council Members Ron Moorsc, City Administrator iKv ' DATE:April 1,2003 SUBJECT : Telecommunications Antcnna/Tower Regulations BACKGROUND In the mid 90 ’s, telecommunications carriers began to expand their services in the suburban areas. This required the placement of antennas on towers, at various inteiA'als, depending on the height of the towers. To manage the proliferation of towers and antennas, particularly in residential areas, cities developed regulations to limit the areas in which towers could be placed, while making reasonable accommodations to enable the expansion of the telecommunications services, as required by Federal regulations. The City amended its land use regulations in preparation for the requests from telecommunieations carriers to place antennas in the city. These regulations enable telecommunications antennas to be placed only on the City ’s two water towers. They are not allowed in any other location. Because the towers arc located at the two ends of the city, in the areas of highest development density,» ! along the two highest tralTic roadways in the city, the tower locations have served the telecommunications carriers well. 'I he City has leased space on its two towers to six telecommunications carriers. Complete C’ovcrace One of the carriers has indicated the two water tower locations do not enable full coverage of the city. I here arc gaps in the coverage, particularly in the central area of the city. T he carrier has indicated a solution is to place a tower and antenna in the Crystal Bay area. Providing a solution to the coverage problem would require a significant change to the City ’s telecommunications antenna tirdinance to allow antennas (and antenna towers) at locations other than the City ’s two water towers. More .specifically, it would require allowing antennas and towers in otlicr locations in the City's rcsidentiaj_arcas. Issues lelated to nmendint; the City ’s teleconununications tower/antenna ordinance. Staff has obtained advice from the City Attorney and the City ’s telecommunications consultant regaiding issues related to the request for additional telecommunications tower locations, and its impact on t*'c City ’s telecommunications regulations. 1 he key i.ssue is how the City can be.st balance the interests of the public and the interests of the telecommunications carriers, while complying with the Federal telecommunications law. The telecommunications consultant has indicated that if a carrier can demonstrate a gap in coverage that cannot be addressed by locating antennas on the two City water towers, the City w ill need to enable an J