18A.95.120 Tower siting and design requirements.
A. Setbacks. All towers, support structures and accessory buildings must satisfy the minimum setback requirements for the zoning district in which they are located, except under the following conditions:
1. Tower Setback. A tower’s setback shall be measured from the base of the tower to the property line of the parcel on which it is located. In the MF1, MF2, MF3, MR1, MR2, R1, R2, R3, and R4 zoning districts, where permitted, and on property abutting or adjacent to such districts, towers shall be set back from any property line in or abutting a residential zone a distance equal to one hundred (100) percent of tower height as measured from ground level, except for unusual geographic limitations or other public policy considerations, as determined at the City’s sole discretion.
2. In all other zones, towers shall comply with a minimum setback of fifteen (15) feet from all property lines.
3. Right-of-Way Setback Exception. The setback requirement may be waived if the antenna and antenna support structure are located in the public right-of-way.
B. Support Systems Setbacks. All guy wires, anchors, and other support structures must be located within the buildable area of the lot and not within the front, rear, or side yard setbacks or within the landscape screening buffer area and which shall be located no closer than fifteen (15) feet to any property line.
C. Lighting. Towers shall not be artificially lighted, unless required by the FAA or other applicable authority. If lighting is required, then the lighting must be of the type to cause the least disturbance to the surrounding area and shall not cause glare skyward or beyond the property line. Furthermore, dual mode lighting shall be requested from the FAA when residential uses are located within five hundred (500) feet of the tower. Exterior lighting shall comply with LMC 18A.60.095.
D. Monopole Construction Required. All towers shall be of a tapering monopole construction unless the provider can demonstrate that another type of tower would cause less impact to the surrounding property than a tapering monopole structure and/or would otherwise further the purposes and goals of this section.
E. Building and Safety Standards. To ensure the structural integrity of towers, the owner of a tower shall ensure that it is constructed and maintained in compliance with applicable City building codes and EIA standards, as amended.
F. Antenna and Support Structure Safety. The tower or antenna and its support structure shall be designed to withstand, at a minimum, a wind force of one hundred (100) miles per hour and one-half (1/2) inch of ice without the use of supporting guy wires. The applicant shall demonstrate that the proposed antenna and support structure are safe and the surrounding areas will not be negatively affected by support structure failure, falling ice, or other debris or interference. All support structures shall be fitted with anti-climbing devices, as approved by the manufacturers.
G. Site Selection and Tower Height. Towers shall be located to minimize their number, height, and visual impacts on the surrounding area in accordance with the following policies:
1. Tower height shall not exceed one hundred (100) feet in height except under the following conditions:
a. Collocation of two (2) or more service providers allows for additional height by using collocation height increment provisions.
b. A single service provider who desires a tower exceeding one hundred (100) feet shall first demonstrate that it cannot build a shorter tower due to technical infeasibility and shall demonstrate that all other applicable criteria in this section and this title are met.
2. The height of a tower shall have the least visual impact feasible and the height shall be no greater than necessary to achieve service area requirements and to provide for potential collocation; and
3. The owner or service provider has demonstrated that the tower site selected provides, to the greatest extent feasible, the least visual impact on residential areas. This shall include an analysis of the potential impacts from other vantage points in the area to illustrate that the selected site and design provides the best opportunity to minimize the visual impact of the proposed facility.
4. The tower shall be sited to minimize solitary or prominent visibility when viewed from surrounding areas, especially residential areas. The facility shall be camouflaged to the maximum extent feasible.
H. Screening. Towers shall be significantly screened to the extent that it does not result in significant signal degradation. If there are no trees to provide screening, the site shall utilize significant camouflage or other design/construction methods satisfactory to the City, so as to provide compatible aesthetics on and around the site, to the fullest extent reasonably possible.
I. Separation Distances between Towers. Separation distances between towers shall be measured between the proposed tower and preexisting towers. Measurement shall be from base of tower to base of tower, excluding pad, footing or foundation. The separation distances shall be measured by drawing or following a straight line between the nearest point on the base of the existing tower and the proposed tower base, pursuant to a site plan of the proposed tower. The separation distances shall be listed in linear feet. Separation distances between towers shall be one thousand five hundred (1,500) linear feet; except when both towers are lattice or guyed towers, then the separation distance shall be five thousand (5,000) linear feet, or one (1) of the towers is a monopole less than one hundred (100) feet in height, then the separation distance shall be one thousand (1,000) linear feet; or, if the City designates areas where multiple towers can be located in closer proximity. The Director or Hearing Examiner, as applicable, may reduce tower separation distance requirements if written findings are made that the provider has demonstrated that the purposes and goals of this section or this title would be better served in doing so. However, the development of multiple tower locations on one (1) or more sites in close proximity, often referred to as “antenna farms,” is specifically prohibited, unless such a site has been so designated by the City Council. [Ord. 726 § 2 (Exh. B), 2019.]