§ 455-41. Site design standards.

The following site design standards shall apply to wireless telecommunications facilities:

A. 

New towers.

(1) 

Telecommunications towers may not be located closer than 150 feet to any residential lot line in a residential zone. Antennas located on preexisting buildings or structures are exempt from this requirement.

(2) 

Fall zone. A fall zone shall be established such that the tower is set back 150% of the height of the tower from any building intended for human occupancy on an adjoining lot.

(3) 

Security fencing. Towers shall be enclosed by security fencing not less than eight feet in height. Towers shall also be equipped with appropriate anticlimbing measures.

(4) 

Landscaping. The following requirements shall govern the landscaping surrounding towers:

(a) 

Tower facilities shall be landscaped with a buffer of plant materials that effectively screens the view of the tower compound from property used for residences or planned residences or any other area frequented by the public. The standard buffer shall consist of a landscaped strip at least eight feet wide outside the perimeter of the compound. However, at a minimum, the facility should be shielded from public view by evergreen trees at least eight feet high at planting.

(b) 

In locations where the visual impact of the tower would be minimal, the landscaping requirement may be reduced at the sole discretion of the approving authority.

(c) 

Existing mature tree growth and natural land forms on the site shall be preserved to the maximum extent possible.

(5) 

Ancillary buildings. Any proposed building enclosing related electronic equipment shall not be more than 10 feet in height nor more than 200 square feet in area, and only one such building shall be permitted on the lot for each provider of wireless telecommunication services located on the site.

(6) 

Aesthetics. Towers and antennas shall meet the following requirements:

(a) 

Towers shall either maintain a galvanized steel finish or, subject to any applicable standards of the FAA, be painted a neutral color so as to reduce visual obtrusiveness.

(b) 

At a tower site, the design of the buildings and related structures shall, to the extent possible, use materials, colors, textures, screening, and landscaping that will blend them into the natural setting and surrounding buildings.

(7) 

Lighting. No lighting is permitted except as follows, which shall be subject to review and approval by the Joint Land Use Board as part of the site plan application:

(a) 

The building enclosing electronic equipment may have one light at the entrance to the building, provided that the light is attached to the building, is focused downward and is switched so that the light is turned on only when workers are at the building; and

(b) 

No lighting is permitted on a tower except lighting that specifically is required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and any such required lighting shall be focused and shielded to the greatest extent possible so as not to project towards adjacent and nearby properties.

(8) 

Signs. No signs are permitted except those required by the Federal Communications Commission, the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) and/or the Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA) or by law, such as warning and equipment information signs.

B. 

Antennas mounted on existing structures or rooftops.

(1) 

Antennas on existing structures. Any antenna which is not attached to a tower may be attached to any existing business, industrial, office, utility or institutional structure in the B2 and LI Zone Districts, provided:

(a) 

Side- and roof-mounted personal wireless service facilities shall not project more than 10 feet above the height of an existing building or structure nor project more than 10 feet above the height limit of the zoning district within which the facility is located. Personal wireless service facilities may locate on a building or structure that is legally nonconforming with respect to height, provided that the facilities do not project more than 10 feet above the existing building or structure height.

(b) 

The antenna complies with all applicable FCC and FAA regulations.

(c) 

The antenna complies with all applicable building codes.

(d) 

Equipment structures.

[1] 

The equipment structure shall not contain more than 200 square feet of gross floor area or be more than 10 feet in height. In addition, for buildings and structures which are less than 28 feet in height, the related unmanned equipment structure shall be located on the ground and shall not be located on the roof of the structure.

[2] 

If the equipment structure is located on the roof of a building, the area of the equipment structure and other equipment and structures shall not occupy more than 10% of the roof area.

[3] 

Equipment storage buildings, structures or cabinets shall comply with all applicable building codes.

(2) 

Aesthetics. If an antenna is installed on a structure other than a tower, the antenna and supporting electrical and mechanical equipment must be of a neutral color that is identical to, or closely compatible with the color of the supporting structure so as to make the antenna and related equipment as visually unobtrusive as possible.

C. 

Antennas on existing towers. An antenna may be attached to a preexisting tower in a nonresidential zone and, to minimize adverse visual impacts associated with the proliferation and clustering of towers, co-location of antennas by more than one carrier on existing towers shall take precedence over the construction of new towers, provided such co-location is accomplished in a manner consistent with the following:

(1) 

A tower which is modified or reconstructed to accommodate the co-location of an additional antenna shall be of the same tower type as the existing tower, unless reconstruction as a monopole is proposed.

(2) 

An existing tower may be modified or rebuilt to a taller height, not to exceed the maximum tower height established by this article.

(3) 

On-site location.

(a) 

A tower which is being rebuilt to accommodate the co-location of an additional antenna may be moved on site within 50 feet of its existing location.

(b) 

After the tower is rebuilt to accommodate co-location, only one tower may remain on the site.