HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.0 Memo to BOCC 07.10.2000Lemorandum
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To: Board of County Commissioners
CC:
From: Greg Butler, Sr. Planner
Date: 07/10/2000
Re: Request for Decision Concerning Proposed Telecommunication Towers Near Hwy 82
The magnitude of this telecommunication tower warrants a determination by the Board of County
Commissioners on procedure. Is this telecommunication intrusive enough that the Planning Commission
reviews the proposal and makes recommendations. Or, do we proceed directly to a regular schedule
meeting of the Board of County Commissioners?
The applicant is proposing to construct two, forty-five foot multi -tenant towers. The facility will be
located some ten miles south of Glenwood Springs on the Crystal River Ranch. The towers will be
tapered monopoles each having a 45' centerline and then antennas located at the 35 and 25 -foot levels.
One monopole will have a microwave dish to receive telephone service to prevent the need for additional
road cuts and trenching.
There are two section of the Zoning Code that this proposal must be weighed against before the
recommendation of approval or denial can be made. Section 5.03, number 3 of the Garfield County
Zoning Resolution dealing with Conditional and Special Uses states: Design of the use is organized
to minimize impacts on and from adjacent uses of land through installation of screen fences or
landscape materials on the periphery of the lot and by location of intensively utilized areas, access
points, lighting and signs in such a manner as to protect established neighborhood character.
The monopoles will be set back from the edge of the hill to minimize their size and potential view
from offsite. In additional to this they will be painted to blend in with the surrounding area.
Further in the same Section, 5.03.13 Broadcasting Studio and/or Communication Facility: Such
broadcasting studios and/or communication facilities shall be approved by the Federal
Communication Commission (FCC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), where
appropriate (A84 78; 97-60). In addition, the following standards will be used in the review
application for a communication facility:
1. All facilities shall comply with frequency emission requirements of the FCC and any
facility in compliance cannot be denied.
2. The co -location of telecommunication facilities on one site is encouraged and the denial
of a landowner/lessor of the co -location of a site shall be based on technical reasons, not
competitive interests. It is the County's policy to minimize the number of communication
facilities by the encouragement of co -locating such facilities.
3. A freestanding telecommunication facility, including antennas, shall not exceed the
maximum structure height in the applicable zone district unless an exception is approved
by the Board based on the applicant demonstrating the following:
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July 10, 2000
(a) Use of existing land forms, vegetation and structures to aid in
screening the facility from view or blending in with the surrounding
built natural environment
(b) Design, material and colors of antenna and their support structures
shall be compatible with the surrounding environment, and monopole
support structures shall taper from the base to the tip.
(c) It is consistent with existing communication facilities on the same site.
The applicant appears to be very willing to work within the guidelines of Garfield County's Zoning
Regulations concerning wireless telecommunication facilities. They are proposing to use two co -
locatable monopoles set back from the edge of the hill. They are also proposing to paint the
structures so they blend into the background
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