05-19-1997 Planning Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Telecommunications Tower and P. itenna Policy and Ordinance Continued provision of personal wireless services. From a practical standpoint, what this limitation addresses is the city’s ability to limit the ability of PCS providers to install antennas needed to provide the infrastructure (or network of antennas) required for PCS to operate throughout the city. Because of Orono ’s large land area, it does not appear possible to totally prohibit PCS antennas from the city. However, it may be possible to accommodate the PCS antenna needs without the necessity of allowing the construction of additional towers. This would involve requiring PCS providers to use existing structures as locations for their antennas. The two most obvious existing structures that could be used as locations for antennas are the two city water towers. In less densely populated areas, the distance between PCS antennas can be 2 to 4 miles. The distance between the city’s two water towers is 4 miles. It appears that these two locations could be adequate to meet the city’s PCS antenna needs/requirements. Current City Ordinance The current city ordinance allows telecommunications towers or antenna structures in two zoning districts-the industrial zone and the B-1 zone. The city’s industrial zone is located on the south side of Highway 12 between Old Cr>stal Bay Road and the Long Lake border. The Industrial Zone ordinance requires that a telecommunications tower/antenna can only be allowed if it is accessory to a principal use. It also limits the height to a maximum of 65 feet. The B-1 zoning district allows an antenna structure as a conditional use. The city’s B-1 zoned property is located in the Navarre area. Under the city’s current ordinance it would be possible for new telecommunications towers to be constructed in both the Highway 12 area and the Navarre area. % Use of City Water Towers vs. Additional Comir .. lications Tower Sites In considering potential changes to the city’s zoning code, the city needs to determine whether there are any acceptable locations in the city for additional telecommunications towers. As an alternative, it may be possible for the city to prohibit new towers from all locations in the city if existing antenna locations would be sufficient to provide the PCS network required. The most likely way for this to w’ork is if the city made its two water towers available for PCS antennas. Another key to limiting the number of towers in the city is to require co-location on the towers that are allowed to be used. This means that the towers must accommodate the antennas of multiple vendors. This eliminates the need to provide a separate tower for each separate vendor. The advantages of limiting antenna locations to the city’s two water towers are that it could enable the city to prohibit all other towers from being located in the city, and it would provide a substantial revenue source to the city from lease arrangements for the antennas. The disadvantage is that locating the antennas on the towers would change the appearance of the towers.