04-21-1997 Planning Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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I TO:Planning Commission Members FROM; DATE: Ron Moorse, City Administrator April 17,1997 0 SUBJECT: Ordinance Amending the Orono Zoning Code by Establishing Regulations for the Construction and Placement of Telecommunications Towers and Antennas Attachments: A. Proposed Ordinance B. Policy regarding use of city-owned property for wireless telecommunication antennas New telecommunications technology, particularly personal communications services (PCS) require substantially more antennas to provide coverage to service areas. PCS vendors are requesting additional antenna and tower sites in cities. In order to protect the city's interests while responding adequately and within federal requirement to these requests, it is necessary to revise the current city zoning regulations related to telecommunications towers and antennas. The first step in this process was to develop an overall policy regarding telecommunications towers and antennas in the city as a guide to amending the ordinance. The overall policy adopted by the city council is that Orono will limit the proliferation of telecommunication towers and antennas by allowing PCS antennas to locate only on the two city water towers. The city will prohibit the construction of any new PCS towers in the city. The greatest need for PCS antennas is in areas of denser concentrations of population and along busy highway corridors. The two areas in Orono that meet these criteria are the Highway 12 area and the Navarre area. These are also the locations of the city's two water towers. The remainder of the city is low density residential. The city's policy is that no PCS towers or antennas be allowed in residential areas other than on the two city water towers. After developing the overall city policy regarding telecommunications antennas and towers, the next step was to translate the policy into specific regulations through an ordinance amendment. Staff developed an initial ordinance amendment, which was reviewed by the Planning Commission, to eliminate telecommunications towers and antennas from the city's business and industrial zones. The city council reviewed the ordinance and directed staff to redraft the ordinance to provide more specific definitions of the various typies of antennas, to allow PCS antennas only on the city's water towers, and to prohibit antennas and towers from the business and industrial zones. The attached ordinance has been drafted to reflect council's direction. The proposed ordinance amendment was designed to update the city's current regulations regarding antennas; and to accommodate the growth of wireless communications systems within the city of 4 1