HomeMy WebLinkAbout2.0 BOCC Staff Report 05.06.2002REQUEST:
APPLICANT:
LOCATION:
SITE DATA:
ACCESS:
DOSTINGZONING:
SURROUNDING ZONING:
BOCC 5106102
A request for review of a Special use Permit to allow for a
Communication facility (Cellular phone tower)'
Richard and Karen Rhoades, NTCH {olorado Inc. (clear
Talk)
Located northeast of Rifle approximately one (l) mile on
Graham Mesa..
A 10,000 sq. ft. lease area on 48.711 acres
County Road 233
Agricultural/Residential/Rural Density (A/R/RD)
Agricultural/Residential/Rrnal Density (A/R/RD
PROJECT INFORMATION AIID STAFF COMMENTS
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSAL:
The applicant is proposing to place a 196 ft. monopole capable of suPPorting .the
collocajtion of four wireless teiecommunications providers on the subject site' The
monopole and a l0'x 20' accessory structure *itt ue located within a 10,000 sq' ft' lease
area on the property. The facility will be in use year-round, 24-hours- a-day and it will be
accessed upp.o*i#utely once a month for maintenance purposes. Accels to the site will
be offof CR 233. The site will have a six ft. high chain link fence, with three strands of
barbed wire along the toP.
The proposed application site is located within the City of Rifle Urban Area of Influence'
This application is in general compliance with the Comprehensive Plan, provided the
applicants comply wii-h the recommendations of the City of Rifle. (See attached letter)
ihe City is requesting that the applicant meet the following conditions of approval:
l. The applicant shall communicate with, obtain permission from, and
coordinate with the City of Rifle on issues of planning, access, and
construction on City property related to construction of the monopole
telecommunicationstowerarrdassociatedfacilities.
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The powerline to the existing Rifle water tank is buried in accordance with all
applicable electrical codes, icel Energy requirements and other applicable
municipal standards.
The Afplicant procures an access license for use of the water tank roadway
and conform to the required terms and conditions therein.
The applicant shall maintain proper security of the water tank site at all times
during and after construction.
Section 5.03 Conditional and Special Uses states,
As listed under the Zone District Regulations, conditional and special uses shall conform
to all requirements listed thereundei and elsewhere in this Resolution plus the following
requirements:
(t) Utilities adequate to provide water and sanitation service based on accepted
engineeringitordarit and approved by the Board of County Commissioners shall
eiiher be in place or shall be constructed in conjunction with the proposed use;
No water or sanitation services are required for this use.
(2) Street improvements adequate to accommodate traffic volume generated by the
proporri use and to proiide safe, convenient access to the use shall either be in
-plaie
or shall be constructed in coniunction with the proposed use;
The traffic generated from this use will be minimal, as the only traffic wil-l be for
maintenance purposes. The current condition of County Road 233 should satisfi
this requiremLnt. As noted previously the applicant will be required to obtain a
license to use the access roadoffof the County Road from the City of Rifle prior
to construction of the facilitY.
(3) Design of the proposed use is organized to minimize impact on andfrom adiacent
urrr-oy l*d ihroigh installatioi of screenfences or landscape materials on the
prrtpirrry of the tot and by location of intensively utilized areas, access points,
'ligiting aid signs in such a manner as to protect established neighborhood
character;
The proposed location is in an area relatively close to the City of Rifle water
storage iank and an existing 380 ft. tall radio tower on the northeast side of town.
Landscaping the site would not provide any real visual relief from the tower, thus
would *.*Jno real purpose. Lighting of the tower has not been defined, but staff
believes that the towir will have to have certain specified lighting to meet FAA
standards.
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Section 5.03.13 Broadcasting Studio and/or Communication Facffity, states,
Such broadcasting studios and/or communicationfacitity shall be approved by the
Federal Communication Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration, where
appropriate.
The applicant has not provided an FAA clearance for a tower up to 196' in height at the
prop*"a location as a part of the application. Prior to any approval, the applicant must
provide this documentation.
In addition, the following standards will be used in the review applicationfor a
c ommunic ation facilitY :
l. All facilities shall comply with the radio frequency emission requirements of the
Federal Communicatiins Commission and anyfacility in compliance cannot be
denied.
The applicant must provide a copy of the FCC license applicable for the site that
prorider evidence that this facility will comply with radio frequency emission
requirements of the Federal Communications Commission'
2- The co-location of telecommunications 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 on competitive interests. It is the County's policy to
minimize the number of communicationfacilities by the encouragement of co-
I oc ating such fac il itie s
This tower is being designed to accommodate up to four carriers on the same
facility.
3. Afreestanding telecommunicationfacility, including antennas, shall not exceed
the mmimum structure height in the applicable zone district unless an exception is
opproved by the Board based on the applicant demonstrating thefollowing:
The murimum height of a building/structure in the A/R/RD zone is twenty-five
feet (25'). Theref&e, an exception must be requested for the proposed 196' high
tower.
(a) Use of existing landforms, vegetation and structures to aid in screening
the facility from view or blending in wrth the surrounding built
environment.
The proposed tower is located in an area with the City water tank and a
380 ft. tall radio tower. The addition of this tower will not result in any
significant degradation of visual views in the area.
Design, materials and colors of antennas and their support structures,
shall be compatible with the surrounding environment, and monopole
support structures shall taper from the base to the tip.
The proposed tower will have a non-glaring metallic finish. There is no
further definition of the color proposed, but staffsuggests that it have
coloring that will allow the tower to blend into the surrounding area as
much as possible. In the past the county has accepted munsel green as an
acceptable color for the area.
It is consistent with existing communicationfacilities on the same site.
There are no other communication facilities in the area or on the site.
SUGGESTED FINDINGS:
1. That proper public notice was provided as required for the hearing before the
Board of County Commissioners.
2. That the hearing before the Board of County Commissioners was extensive and
complete, that all pertinent facts, matters and issues were submitted and that all
interested parties were heard at that meeting.
3. That for the above stated and other reasons, the proposed special use permit is in
the best interest of the healttr, safety, morals, convenience, order, prosperity and
welfare ofthe citizens of Garfield County.
4. That the application is in conformance with the Garfield County Zonng
Resolution of 1978, as amended.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staffrecommends APPROVAL of the special use permit, based on the following
conditions:
All representations ofthe applicant made in the application and during the public
hearing shall be considered conditions of approval, unless approved otherwise by
the Board of County Commissioners.
The applicant shall have one year from the date of approval to construct the
communications facilities. If the communication equipment becomes obsolete or
inoperable for any period of twelve months, the applicant shall remove the tower
and accessory building from the property.
The applicant shall provide a copy of the FCC license for the initial company
providing telecommunication service from the site, prior to the issuance of the
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Special use Permit.. Prior to the addition of any other carriers to the site, the
applicant will provide a copy of the FCC license for the company collocating on
the site.
4. An exception is granted from the height restrictions 99.d on the applicant
satisfactorily adiressing the criteria in Section 5.03.13 (3)(a-c) of the Garfield
County Zonng Regulations.
5. The applicant will allow for co-location of other communications facilities on the
site, if it is physically and technically feasible'
6. The applicant provide a copy of the clearance from the FAA for the proposed tower
prior to issuance of a Special Use Permit'
7. The applicant obtain a license from the City of Rifle for the use of the access road
prior io the issuance ofthe Special Use Permit'
g. The powerline to the existing Rifle water tank is buried in accordance with all
applicable electrical codes, Xcel Energy requirements and other applicable
municipal standards.
g. The Applicant procures an access license for use of the water tank roadway and
conforrn to tharequired terms and conditions therein'
10. The applicant shall maintain proper security of the City water tank site at all times
during and after construction.
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Date: 5/1/02 Time:3BeantFrom: Davis Farrar 97G963-7172 1o:Mark
RIFLE PLANNING DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM
TO: MARK BEAN
FROM: DAVIS FARRAR. PLANNER
SUBIECT: CLEARTALK SPECIAL USE PERMIT TELECOMMLINICATIONS
FACILITY REFERRAL
DATE: 5lll02
CC: SELBY MYERS. MATT STIIRGEON. BILL SAPPINGTON
This memorandum is a response to the Garfiekl County refbrral of the NTCH-
Colorado Inc. special use permit application for a teleconrmunications facility. The
applicants propose to construct a single 196-foot monopole telecommunications tower on
the Rhodes property adjacent to the Rifle municipal limits. Access to the tower site and
accessory facilities is proposed to be on the City-owned access road to the northeast
water tank.
The proposed site is relatively close to the existing guyed 380 -tl- fioot radio tower.
The proximity of the proposed 196 foot tower to thc existing radio tower and the
proposed location northeast of the fufle City limits places the tower in an area that is
alread-v visuallv impacted (the existing radio torver). 'this area has minimal residential
development that would be impacted by visual intrusions.
The applicant proposes to bury the existing overhead electric power lines that serve
the Rifle water tank. The Crty does not oppose placing these utility lines underground.
However all such construction must be completed in conformance with the stanclards of
applicable electric codes, Xcel Energy requirements and City standards. The applicant
should tre required to communicate with, coordinate with and receive permission from
the City and Xcel Energy as a condition ofthe special use permit.
The applicant also proposes to use the existing access road to the City water tank as
the access to the telecommunications facilities. 1'he applicant rvill be required to procure
an access license from Rifle fbr this purpose. The access license will include a
requirurrent that the roadway be improved to standards specified by the City and include
a turnaround. The applicant will be required to share in maintenance costs on the
roadwav. The City will be installing utility improvemenls under the existing roadway in
order to connect the existing tank to a new water tank site proposed for construction
within the next 12 months. The applicant should be required to coordinate timing of road
improvements to avoid conflicts with the anticipated City construction work.
From: Davis Farrar g7$g63-7172 10: Mad( Bean Oate.5lllo2 Time: 3:23:56 PM Page 2 ol 2
The Cit-v of Rifle would support conditional approval of the special use permit for
NTCH Colorado [nc. with the following condition-s:
The applicant shall communicate with. obtain permission from, and coordinate with
the Crt"v of Rifle on issues of planning, access, and construction on Crty property related
to conskuction ofthe monopole telecommunications tower and associated facilities.
That the powerline to the existing Rifle water tank is buried in accordance with all
applicable electrical codes, Xcel Energy requirements and other applicable municipal
standards.
That the applicant procures an access license for use of the water tank roadway and
confbrm to the required terms and conditions therein.
That the applicant shall maintain proper security of the water tank site at all times
during and aff.er conslruction.
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