Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2.0 PC Staff Report 05.09.1984a REQUEST: APPLICANT: LOCATION: SITE DATA: WATER: SEWER: ACCEqS: ZONlNG: ADJACENT ZONING: r. RELATIONSHTP TO-THE-COMBEEHENSTVE PLAN II.DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSAL PROJECT INFORMATION Pc 5/09/84 AND STAFF COMI,IENTS Special Use commun icat ion permit for towers and a broadcasting studio- Rifle Broadcasting ComPanY A parcel located in Sections 27, 34, T6S, R92wr aPProximatelY four (4i miles south of Silt on CountY Rd. 331. The request is to allow the placemen[ of five (5) communication Loorer s and a r adio br oadcast ing stud io . Existing well Existing sePtic Via CountY Rd. 33I A/R/RD A/R/RD The proposed special use is located in District C, Rural Areas/Minor Environmental. constraints. The following are some relevant plan objectives and Policies: A. While major nature preserves or general open space is adequately provided by available federal and state forest and park lands in the county, open sPace along the highly visual and scenic road corridors-needl to be preserved' (pg'14) B. Encourage non-agricultural development in aqficultural areas to locate on non-pr5ductive farmland ' (pg'18, #6 ) c. visual Quality: Any development in oistricts crDrE or F in an area whlah is- determinetl to have a higir degree of visual quality af ter "i-[*- - "p."if ia investigation shal1 receive special consideration to ensure the minimum impact on these qualities' Special aesign and siting of development in such areas should be used to e,rsur6 compatibility witfr visual quality (pg.7 ) site__Deesllp!1en: T!* parcel is located in a fairly open va11ey floor with verv-rittle vegetation, with escarpments to the north and northwest.' The land is generally open agricultural grazing and crop lanci with rural homesites intermixed' A. B. q!"gjgq!__9ggg.ffplion: The proposal would a11ow for the placementof five (5) 351 foot high, communication towers, a 1000 squarefoot transmitter building and an additional 1000 square footbuilding for a radio broadcasting studio. The radio station willbe a 50KW AM stereo station, with an average of four employees onsite at any one tinre. The towers will be located in ail area 890feet wide by 2450 feet 1ong, or approximately 50 acres. Waterwill be provided by an existing well and se\Jer by an existingseptic system. III.MAJOR ISSUES AND CONCERNS Agqtng: Communication towers and broadcasting studios are aspecial use in the A/R/RD zone district. To approve a Special Use permit, the following requirements must be met: 1. Utilities adeguate to provide rrater and sanitation servicebased on accepted engineering standards and approved by the Environmental Health Officer sha11 eitirer be in place or shall beconstructed in conjunction with the proposed use; 2. Street improvements aJequate to accommodate traffic volumegenerated by the proposed use and to provide safe, convenientaccess to the use sha11 either be in place or sl:all be constructed in conjunction with the proposed usei 3. Design of the proposed use is organize.i to minimize impact on and from adjacent uses of land through installation of screenfences or landscape materials on the periphery of the lot and bylocation of intensively utilized areas, access points, lighting and signs in such a manner as to protect established neighborhoodcharacter; 4. Broadcasting studios and communication towers must be approved by the Federal Communication Commission ar:d FederalAviation Administration. The applicanLs manner : have addressed those requirements in the following 1. Water and sewer are both presently available on the lot as aresult of the previous landowner drilling a well and installirrg aseptic system for a residence. 2. The broadcasting studio rvould average four employeesr but could range from one to five employees. It is stated, by theapplicant, that traffic generated by this many people should not be significantly greater thair some of the residences in the area. 3. The application notes that the broadcasting studio andtransmitter building wi1 I be similar in appearance to the surrounding homes. The transmitter towers will be very visibleto the neighbors to the south and in the immediate area surrounding the site. Generally, the towers will not be visiblefrom the Colorado River vaIley floor due to the visual screeningprovided by Weible and Dry Hollow peaks. 4. Rifle Broadcasting has obtained tire required constructionpermit from the F.C.C. and a ndetermination of no hazard to airnavigationn from the F.A.A. The actual operating license is not issued until the equipment has been constructed and tested. A. - t?* B.Revi ew Aqerrcy Comments: Letters of objection from adjacent and area residents have been received. The primary concern is related to tlie visual impact on the neighborhoocl. (See letters, PagesZl:&L-) 9!q!E_9eUuents: 1. The visual impact of the proposed communications towers ltas an issue at the time that the A'IR/RD zone distr ict text vras amended. At that timer do opponent to the amendment stated that strobe lights vrould be placecl on the towers. T[ree of the towers will have 620 watt beacon lights on the top and two 69 watt obstruction lights at lower 1evels. Additionally, these three structures wifi-Ue painted alternately red and white' It is possible to shield the top beacon light from ground view by placing a plate below the 1 ight making it visible to air traffic. One of the nain objectors felt that the towers will be visible from across the colorado River Va1ley in the silt Mesa area. The towers will be made of 1' Lubular rods' in an l8n triangular pattern, making them difficult to see from more than a mi1e away, according tO the application. The towers will sit in the valley about 150 to 2OO fi6t below the top of Dry Hol1ow ang weible Peaks. silt t4esa is approximately 5 to 6 miles north and a lower elevation than Dry Hbifow and Weible Peaks which will obscure a large portion of the the towers to views from the north. In the 6venings, three of the towers will be lit but only the top 100 to 150 ieet will be visible, Jue to the surrounding escarpments, resulting in six lights seen at a distance of 5 to 6 miles from the north. In gener5l, the towers should only impact tf," general ui"inty visualiy, with. no visual impact to the Coloiaclo River vuit*y flooi and minimal, if doY, impact to the Silt Mesa area. 2. Concerns about the transmitters interfering with radio, telephone and television reception have been noted, along with tfre bossibil ity of the radio signal being trar:smitted through certain metallic objects within the area. In talking to a number of electrical engiieers, the opinions were somewhat varied as to the inteirsity oi the effectl, but genera117 agreed upon the following as Possible effects: a. rt is bo""ible that the radio signal could be picked up on telephone lines in the arear but this can be corrected. b. Two way signals, such as paging devices ' could have interferencer but again this can be corrected' c. one engineer stated that it was possible - for cer tain appliances [o picl< up and transmit the radio signal. The other engineers conced"ed that it was possibler but hlghly unlikely' Sh5u1d it. happel, it is possible to correct the effect. d. Some oldei raflios may not be able to pick up aliy other signal than Rifle Broadcasting's signal. It can be corrected by the radio being rePlaced by a new model' e. An improbertl -isstal1ecl transmitter c€lilr in certain circumstancesr'"i"'certain 1evels of RF energy to certain objects within a 100 to 200 foot raclius. This could occur on a high 1evel broadcasting frequency transmitter. Rifle Broadcasting is a 1ow level broadcasting frequency' 3. As noted previously, there will be up to five employees which sfiould not result in a- significant increase in impact to the roads in the area. 4. In talking to a FCC engineer, he stated that Federal regulations wiif require the radio station to correct any pioni"*" within a one volt arear or approximately one mile radius. -/- IV. SUGGESTED FINDIIGS 1. That the meeting before the Planning commission was extensive and -omplete, th;[ all pertineirt facts, matters and issues were submitted and that all interested parties were heard at the meet ing; 2. That the special use application meets the requirements set forth in section 5.03 of the Garfielcl county zoning Resolution of 1978r ds amended; 3. That the proposed land use will be generally compatible with the existing ana permitte<t land uses in all directions' 4. That for the above stated and other reasons, the proposed special use is in th; best interest of the healthr s6lfety' *o."i", convenience, orderr ProsPerity and llelfare of the citizens of Garfield CountY' v. BEgguuqND4!lg[ APPROVALT provided the planning commission feels that the visual impact of the proposed toqgri i" compatible with the surroun<1ing area and the rorrowing conditions are imposed: 1. That aI1 written ancl verbal representatious of the apPlicant shallbeconsideredconditionsofapproval. Z. That all beacons ancl lights be shielded, to the extent 1ega1ly feasible, from the view of surrounding property owners' 3 . That, ShOuld the raclio station cliscontihue service or lose it,s license foi a periocl of one year or more, the towers shall be removed. 4. The applicant sha1l obtain and comply with. all County building and ISDS permit regulations prior to the issuance of a SPecial Use Permit. 5. That the apPlicant be responsible . for correcting any interference or disruption of neighbor's radio, telephone' television reception or otner electrical problems attributable to the radio station. -/0 - $eQUesr: APPLICANT: LOCATION: SITE DATA: RECOMI,IENDATiON: PROJECT INFORMATIOII BOCC 4/9/84 AND STAFF COMMENTS Special Use permit for communication towers and abroadcasting studio. Rlfle Broadcasting Compairy A parcel located in Sections 27,34, T65, R92W, more practically described as a parcel locatedapproximately four (4) miles southof Silt on County Rd. 331. The request is to allow theplacement of five (5) communicationtowers and a radio broadcastingstudio. Referral to the planning Commission