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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.4Item 3.4 TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS January 7, 2010 Staff Report to the Planning Commission RE: CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT RENEWAL AND MODIFICATION FOR AN EXISTING/ PREVIOUSLY APPROVED WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY. LANDS OF FOOTHILL COLLEGE (APPLICANT: VERIZON WIRELESS); 12345 EL MONTE ROAD; FILE # 134 -09 -CUP FROM: Brian Froelich, AICP, Associate Planner r)14= - APPROVED BY: Debbie Pedro, AICP, Planning Directo�R, RECOMMENDATION: That the Planning Commission: Forward a recommendation to the City Council to approve the requested modification and renewal of the Conditional Use Permit for 10 years in compliance with Government Code Section 65964(b), subject to the conditions in Attachment 1. BACKGROUND The 61 foot tall monopole was originally constructed in 1993 by GTE Mobilnet. According to Town records, Foothill College had apparently granted a building permit for the facility without consulting with the Town'. On March 6, 1996, the City Council held a public hearing and retroactively approved the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for the subject 61 -foot tall monopole. The proposal included six (6) panel antennas mounted at 58 -feet on three (3), eight (8) foot arms in a "wagon wheel" formation. On April 18, 2002, the City Council approved a CUP for the collocation of three (3) flush mounted Metro PCS panel antennas on the Crown Castle monopole. The Metro PCS antennas are mounted at 48 feet. The project was conditioned to install three (3)-36" box sized deodar cedar trees to.screen the base of the pole and the equipment cabinets. DISCUSSION The existing wireless communications facility consists of a 61 -foot tall steel monopole and ground equipment all sited just north of the observatory building on the Foothill College campus. Six (6) Verizon arm mounted panel antennas (48 "h x 8 "w x 18 "d) are currently installed on the pole at 58 feet above grade. The applicant is proposing to upgrade the existing antennas and replace them with nine (9) panel antennas of a similar size (48"h x 12"w x 8"d). The proposal includes a new mounting system and removal of the arm mounts. The proposed mounting system will Staff Report to the Planning Commission Verizon Wireless at Foothill College January 7, 2010 Page 2 of 5 bring the antennas into a tighter formation where the furthest antenna will be approximately three (3) feet +/- from the pole opposed to the existing eight (8) foot arm mounts. The added panel antennas and reduced mounting system equates to essentially a trade off with regard to visual impact. Review of Town files shows that the project has never complied with condition of approval #3 from the original 1996 conditions (requiring painting the pole) and staff is recommending that the applicant fulfill this condition with this application. The applicant has agreed to paint the monopole and antennas to a color acceptable by the Town. In order to have all the antennas on the pole match in color, staff recommends condition of approval 45 requesting that the applicant contact all co -located wireless carriers on the monopole and coordinate painting all of the antennas with the same color. Pursuant to Government Code Section 65964(b) the duration of time for any permit renewal for a wireless telecommunications facility should be a minimum of 10 years (currently 5 years). Staff has added condition of approval 46 in Attachment 1 to comply with State Law. Wireless Communications Facilities Policy The facility is consistent with the Town's Wireless Communications Facilities Policy. This is a non-residential site, a facility operating with a co -located carrier, and visual impacts will be somewhat improved by the painting of the pole. The Policy requires that a 3-5 year Master Plan be included with the application. A 3=5 year Master Plan (coverage map) showing existing Verizon facilities and the coverage in the Los Altos Hills and Los Altos areas is included as Attachment 4. According to the applicant, Verizon Wireless is in an upgrade mode rather than an acquisition mode for the Bay Area. The new antennas will allow greater bandwidth and speed of the facility. CONCLUSION The proposed modifications will not change the offsite visual impacts of the existing facility. The applicant has submitted a report prepared by Hammett & Edison, Inc. July 23, 2009, documenting that the proposed modifications and the co -located carrier (Metro PCS) combined will operate within Federal Communications Commission -Radio Frequency Prevailing Exposure Standards (Attachment 3). Extension of the Use Permit will allow continued operation of the facility. for an additional ten (10) years at which time subsequent Planning Commission/City Council review will be required. Staff Report to the Planning Commission Verizon Wireless at Foothill College January 7, 2010 Page 3 of 5 On site before and after photo and simulation show a negligible change in visual impact. The painted pole will improve the visual impacts from off-site where the backdrop is natural terrain. CEQA STATUS The proposed application is exempt from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15301(a) of the CEQA Guidelines. ATTACHMENTS 1. Original Conditions of Approval #1- #4 (March 13, 1996) with added standard wireless CUP conditions of approval #4- #12 2. Applicant's Statement Requesting Permit Renewal 3. Radio Frequency emissions report by Hammett & Edison, Inc. dated July 23, 2009 4. Verizon 3-5 Year Antenna Master Plan (Existing Coverage Map) 5. Photo Simulations showing the pole painted brown 6. Wireless Communications Facilities Policy 7. Site Development Plans Staff Report to the Planning Commission Verizon Wireless at Foothill College January 7, 2010 Page 4 of 5 ATTACHMENT 1 CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR A WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY LANDS OF FOOTHILL COLLEGE (VERIZON WIRELESS) 12345 EL MONTE ROAD' FILE # 134 -09 -CUP PLANNING DEPARTMENT: 1. Any changes or revisions to the cellular facility or its use shall require an amendment to the applicable conditional use permit(s). Additionally, the Planning Director may,. at any time, schedule a review or revocation hearing before the Planning Commission regarding the use permit, if any condition of approval is not being met or the facility is being used inconsistent with the approved use or in violation of Town development codes. 2. Not later than 30 days after approval of the conditional use permit, portable fire extinguishers shall be installed, to the satisfaction of the Los Altos Fire Department. One fire extinguisher shall be located in the building and available during refueling and operation of the backup generator. The extinguisher shall be a minimum of a IOB rating and all extinguishers shall be in accordance with the Uniform Fire Code Standard No. 10-1. 3. The monopole and antennas (to include equipment units/shelters, if determined appropriate) shall, be repainted a color(s) to be determined by the Planning Director to blend with the surrounding environment, prior to final inspection of the facility. 4. If the applicant is approached by another carrier to co -locate wireless facilities on the pole, the permittee shall make a good faith effort to accommodate the request. Tbr; penrit is initially pp> -eyed fe 1, aiv 1 i v^ J 7 i wz -v 5. The applicant shall contact all co -located wireless carriers on the monopole, in an effort to coordinate painting all the antennas on the monopole the same color. 6. The use permit shall expire ten (10) years from the date of approval. Renewal of the permit must be requested in writing, with appropriate fees, prior to the expiration date. 7. The applicant shall submit a signed agreement to the Town that should the use be discontinued by the carrier, all facilities will be removed not later than ninety (90) days after discontinuance of the use or abandonment. The agreement shall be Staff Report to the Planning Commission Verizon Wireless at Foothill College January 7, 2010 Page 5 of 5 approved by the City Attorney, and must be signed by the applicant and submitted to the Town prior to acceptance of plans for building plan check. 8. The applicant must obtain building permits for the proposed work. 9. Crown Castle or the operator of the site shall be responsible for repair or repainting of the proposed facilities (equipment shed, monopole, and antennas) in case of vandalism or wear and must do so within 72 hours of notice by the Town that a complaint has been received. ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT: 10. Any, and all, changes to the proposed Site Plan shall first be approved. by the Town Engineering Department. 11. Any, and all, areas on the project site that have the native material disturbed shall be protected for erosion control during the rainy season and shall be replanted prior to final inspection. 12. The applicant shall inform the Town of any damage and shall repair any damage caused by the construction of the project to pathways, private driveways, and public and private roadways, prior to final inspection and shall provide the Town with photographs of the existing conditions of the. roadways and pathways prior to acceptance of plans for building plan check. CONDITION NUMBERS 3, 5, 7 AND 12 SHALL BE COMPLETED AND -SIGNED OFF BY THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT PRIOR TO ACCEPTANCE OF CONSTRUCTION PLANS FOR PLAN CHECK BY THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT. c 0WN / W Y/ L Project Description Nature of Request Attachment 2 RECEIVED .AUL E, 2009 TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS Crown Castle of behalf of Verizon Wireless seeks approval of a Conditional Use Permit, and maintain our facility by adding (3) additional panel antennas for a total of (9) antennas. Verizon Wireless also proposes to add (4) new coax lines to be housed within the existing monopole. Property Description The subject property is located at 12345 El Monte Rd Los Altos Hills Ca 94022. The property is located within the jurisdiction of the town of Los Altos Hills. Project Description The (e) facility is a (60.5') sixty five foot -six inch monopole, wherein Verizon Wireless currently has (6) panel antennas installed on the monopole which is operated by Crown Castle. We are proposing to add an additional (3) panel antennas (1) per sector at (58') fifty-eight feet (See page A-2) on the existing monopole. The proposed installation will not increase the overall height or diameter. The coaxial cable will be housed within the existing monopole frame to mitigate any potential visual impact. The purpose of these "antennas" will be to enhance the overall Verizon network. Statement of Operations The existing Crown Castle communication facility only requires electrical services and telephone services which are readily available to the building/site. No nuisances will be generated by the proposed facility modifications, nor will the facility injure the public health, safety, morals or general welfare of the community. Verizon technology does not interfere wiih any other forms of communication devices whether public or private. The additions/maintenance of this facility will actually enhance wireless communications for residents or motorists traveling by providing seamless service to numerous customers. 815031 Crown Castle Representing Verizon Wireless As mentioned before, upon completion of construction, fine-tuning of the Crown Castle facility may be necessary, meaning the site will be adjusted once or twice a month by a service technician for routine maintenance. No additional parking spaces are needed at the project site for maintenance activities. The site is entirely self -monitored and connects directly to a central office where sophisticated computers alert personnel to any equipment malfunction or breach of security. Because Crown Castle facility will be un -staffed, there will be no regular hours of operation and no impact to existing traffic patterns. An existing dirt road will provide ingress and egress allowing access to the technician who arrives infrequently to service the site. No on-site water or sanitation services will be required as a part of this proposal. Zoning Analysis The proposed equipment modification will be located on an (e) Cellular facility. Therefore, the "usage" is allowed, as we are merely "upgrading" the facility to eliminate the need for an additional cell site in the area. As mentioned above, the proposal includes the placement of electronic equipment which Crown Castle / Verizon has designed in the "least visual obtrusive manner". Compliance with Federal Regulations Crown Castle will comply with all FCC rules governing construction requirements, technical standards, interference protection, power and height limitations, and radio frequency standards. In addition, the company will comply with all FAA rules on site location and operation. 815031 Crown Castle Representing Verizon Wireless Attaclunent 3 Verizon Wireless v Ease Station No. 116498 "Highway 280/EI Monte" 12345 EI Monte Road © Los Altos Hills, California Statement of Hammett & Edison, Inc., Consulting Engineers The firm of Hammett & Edison, Inc., Consulting Engineers, has been retained on behalf of Verizon Wireless, a personal wireless telecommunications carrier, to evaluate proposed modifications to its existing base station (Site No. 116498 "Highway 280/El Monte") located at 12345 El Monte Road in Los Altos Hills, California, for compliance with appropriate guidelines limiting human exposure to radio frequency ("RF") electromagnetic fields. Prevailing Exposure Standards The U.S. Congress requires that the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") evaluate its actions for possible significant impact on the environment. In Docket 93-62, effective October 15, 1997, the FCC adopted the human exposure limits for field strength and power density recommended in Report No. 86, "Biological Effects and Exposure Criteria for Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields," published in 1986 by the Congressionally chartered National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements ("NCRP"). Separate limits apply for occupational and public exposure conditions, with the latter limits generally five times more restrictive. The more recent standard, developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and approved as American National Standard ANSI/IEEE C95.1-2006, "Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 3 kHz to 300 GHz," includes similar exposure limits. A summary of the FCC's exposure limits is shown in Figure 1. These limits apply for continuous exposures and are intended to provide a prudent margin of safety for all persons, regardless of age, gender, size, or health. The most restrictive FCC limit for exposures of unlimited duration to radio frequency energy for several personal wireless services are as follows: Personal Wireless Service Approx. Frequency Occupational Limit Public Limit Broadband Radio (`BRS") 2,600 MHz 5.00 mW/cm2 1.00 mW/cm2 Advanced Wireless ("AWS") 2,100 5.00 1.00 Personal Communication ("PCS") 1,950 5.00 1.00 Cellular Telephone 870 2.90 0.58 Specialized Mobile Radio ("SMR") 855 2.85 0.57 Long Term Evolution ("LTE") 700 2.33 0.47 [most restrictive frequency range] 30-300 1.00 0.20 General Facility Requirements Base stations typically consist of two distinct parts: the electronic transceivers (also called "radios" or "channels") that are connected to the traditional wired telephone lines, and the passive antennas that send the wireless signals created by the radios out to be received by individual subscriber units. The 5, 0, 04',,N* HAIV METr & EDISON INC. V_ VW116498596 "'1`1 ; Y °,a'= CONSULTING ENGINEERS M `;Br .'s SAN FRANCISCO Page 1 of3 Verizon Wireless • Base Station No. 116498 "Highway 280/EI Monte" 12345 EI Monte Road • Los Altos Hills, California transceivers are often located at ground level and are connected to the antennas by coaxial cables about 1 inch thick. Because of the short wavelength of the frequencies assigned by the FCC for wireless services, the antennas require line -of -sight paths for their signals to propagate well and so are installed at some height above ground. The antennas are designed to concentrate their energy toward the horizon, with very little energy wasted toward the sky or the ground. Along with the low power of such facilities, this means that it is generally not possible for exposure conditions to approach the maximum permissible exposure limits without being physically very near the antennas. Computer Modeling Method The FCC provides direction for determining compliance in its Office of Engineering and Technology Bulletin No. 65, "Evaluating Compliance with FCC -Specified Guidelines for Human Exposure .to Radio Frequency Radiation," dated August 1997. Figure 2 attached describes the calculation methodologies, reflecting the facts that a directional antenna's radiation pattern is not fully formed at locations very close by (the "near -field" effect) and that at greater distances the power level from an energy source decreases with the square of the distance from it (the "inverse square law") The conservative nature of this method for evaluating exposure conditions has been verified by numerous field tests. Site and Facility Description Based upon information provided by Verizon, including drawings by Omni Design Group, dated April 23, 2009, that carrier presently has installed six Andrew directional panel antennas, three Model 932LG65VTE-M antennas for PCS service and three Model 854DG85VTEXY antennas for cellular service, on a 60 -foot steel pole sited at 12345 El Monte Road in Los Altos Hills. It is proposed to add three Andrew Model LNX-65121:)S-T4M antennas for LTE service to the same pole so that the antennas would be mounted in groups of three (one of each model) with up to 11° downtilt at an effective height of about 58 feet above ground and would be oriented at about 120° spacing, to provide service in all directions. The maximum effective radiated power in any direction would be 2,040 watts, representing the simultaneous operation of two PCS channels at 320 watts each, five cellular channels at 200 watts each and one LTE channel at 400 watts. Presently installed lower on the same pole are similar antennas for use by MetroPCS, another wireless telecommunications carrier. For the limited purposes of this study it is assumed that MetroPCS has installed Kathrein Model 742-213 directional PCS antennas at an effective height of about 481/2 feet above ground and operates with a maximum effective radiated power of 1,890 watts. HAmmETT & � EDISON INC. - VW116498596 • Y y� =- CONSULTING ENGINEERS R � SAN FRANCSCO Page 2 of 3 Verizon Wireless • Ease Station No. 119498 "Highway 280/EI Monte" 12345 EI Monte Road • Los Altos Hills, California Study Results For a person anywhere at ground, the maximum ambient RF exposure level due to the proposed Verizon operation by itself is calculated to be 0.011 mW/cm2, which is 2.1% of the applicable public limit. The maximum calculated cumulative level anywhere at ground, for both carriers operating simultaneously, is 2.2% of the applicable public limit. The maximum calculated cumulative level at the second floor elevation of any nearby building would be 3.2% of the public exposure limit. It should be noted that these results include several "worst-case" assumptions and therefore are expected to overstate actual power density levels from the proposed operation. No Recommended Mitigation Measures Due to their mounting location, the Verizon antennas are not accessible to the general public, and so no mitigation measures are necessary to comply with the FCC public exposure guidelines. It is presumed that Verizon and Metro will, as FCC licensees, take adequate steps to ensure that their employees or contractors comply with FCC occupational exposure guidelines whenever work is required near the antennas themselves. Conclusion Based on the information and analysis above, it is the undersigned's professional opinion that the Verizon Wireless base station located at 12345 El Monte Road in Los Altos Hills, California, will comply with the prevailing standards for limiting public exposure to radio frequency energy and, therefore, will not for this reason cause a significant impact on the environment. The highest calculated level in publicly accessible areas is much less than the prevailing standards allow for exposures of unlimited duration. This finding is consistent with measurements of actual exposure conditions taken at other operating base stations. Authorship The undersigned author of this statement is a qualified Professional Engineer, holding California Registration No. E-18063, which expires on June 30, 2011. This work has been carried out by him or under his direction, and all statements are true and correct of his own knowledge except, where noted, when data has been supplied by others, which data he believes to be correct. July 23, 2009 / Q�pf ESSIQN9 MA COTyG� F,y�i c' No. E-18063 rr w 30-2011 Exp.6 - � jat Mathur, P 5wHAMMETT & EDISOIV, INC. ��qJ C�F CA\-FO��\� g +' CONSULTING ENGINEERS VW 116498596 , "1__L ^rr, \ Page 3 of 3 f•;.::v :br�?:�£;: SAN FRANCISCO O FCC F;adio Frequency Protection Guide The U.S. Congress required (1996 Telecom Act) the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") to adopt a nationwide human exposure standard to ensure that its licensees do not, cumulatively, have a significant impact on the environment. The FCC adopted the limits from Report No. 86, "Biological Effects and Exposure Criteria for Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields," published in 1986 by the Congressionally chartered National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements ("NCRP"). Separate limits apply for occupational and public exposure conditions, with the latter limits generally five times more restrictive. The more recent standard, developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and approved as American National Standard ANSI/IEEE C95.1-2006, "Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 3 kHz to 300 GHz," includes similar limits. These limits apply for continuous exposures from all sources and are intended to provide a prudent margin of safety for all persons, regardless of age, gender, size, or health. As shown in the table and chart below, separate limits apply for occupational and public exposure conditions, with the latter limits (in italics and/or dashed) up to five times more restrictive: Frequency Applicable Range (MHz) 0.3— 1.34 1.34— 3.0 3.0— 30 30— 300 300— 1,500 1,500— 100,000 1000 1111( 3 N 10 Q P4 1 0.1 Electromagnetic Fields (f is freauencv of emission in MHz Electric Magnetic Equivalent Far -Field Field Strength Field Strength Power Density (V/m) (A/m) (MW/ I cm 2 ) 614 614 1.63 1.63 100 100 614 823.8/f 1.63 2.19/f 100 180/1 1842/ f 823.8/f 4.89/ f 2.19/f 900/ f' 180/1 61.4 27.5 0.163 0.0729 1.0 0.2 3.544f 1.59NFf 4fA06 -f1238 f/300 f/1500 137 61.4 0.364 0.163 5.0 1.0 — � Occupational Exposure PCS Cell � FM f ` v Public EExxvosure 0.1 1 10 100 103 104 105 Frequency (MHz) Higher levels are allowed for short periods of time, such that total exposure levels averaged over six or thirty minutes, for occupational or public settings, respectively, do not exceed the limits, and higher levels also are allowed for exposures to small areas, such that the spatially averaged levels do not exceed the limits. However, neither of these allowances is incorporated in the conservative calculation formulas in the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology Bulletin No. 65 (August 1997) for projecting field levels. Hammett & Edison has built those formulas into a proprietary program that calculates, at each location on an arbitrary rectangular grid, the total expected power density from any number of individual radio sources. The program allows for the description of buildings and uneven terrain, if required to obtain more accurate projections. HAMMETT & EDISON INC. taes_`,.� " CONSULTING ENGINEERS FCC Guidelines G M SAN FRANCISCO Figure 1 RFR.CALCTM Calculation Methodology Assessment by Calculation of Compliance with FCC Exposure Guidelines The U.S. Congress required (1996 Telecom Act) the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") to adopt a nationwide human exposure standard to ensure that its licensees do not, cumulatively, have a significant impact on the environment. The maximum permissible exposure limits adopted by the FCC (see Figure 1) apply for continuous exposures from all sources and are intended to provide a prudent margin of safety for all persons, regardless of age, gender, size, or health. Higher levels are allowed for short periods of time, such that total exposure levels averaged over six or thirty minutes, for occupational or public settings, respectively, do not exceed the limits. Near Field. Prediction methods have been developed for the near field zone of panel (directional) and whip (omnidirectional) antennas, typical at wireless telecommunications base stations, as well as dish (aperture) antennas, typically used for microwave links. The antenna patterns are not fully formed in the near field at these antennas, and the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology Bulletin No. 65 (August 1997) gives suitable formulas for calculating power density within such zones. For a panel or whip antenna, power density S = 180 x 0.1 x P th ' m mW/cm2, B sw ac x D x and for an aperture antenna maximum ower density _ 0.1 x 16 x x Paec in mW/cm2 P � P t3' Smax — 7L x h2 ' ' where OBW = half -power beamwidth of the antenna, in degrees, and Pnet = net power input to the antenna, in watts, D = distance from antenna, in meters, h = aperture height of the antenna, in meters, and rl = aperture efficiency (unitless, typically 0.5-0.8). The factor of 0.1 in the numerators converts to the desired units of power density. Far Field. OET-65 gives this formula for calculating power density in the far field of an individual RF source: 2.56x1.64x100xRFF2 xERP power density s = in mW/cm2, 4x.rrxD2 where ERP = total ERP (all polarizations), in kilowatts, RFF = relative field factor at the direction to the actual point of calculation, and D = distance from the center of radiation to the point of calculation, in meters. The factor of 2.56 accounts for the increase in power density due to ground reflection, assuming a reflection coefficient of 1.6 (1.6 x 1.6 = 2.56). The factor of 1.64 is the gain of a half -wave dipole relative to an isotropic radiator. The factor of 100 in the numerator converts to the desired units of power density. This formula has been built into a proprietary program that calculates, at each location on an arbitrary rectangular grid, the total expected power density from any number of individual radiation sources. The program also allows for the description of uneven terrain in the vicinity, to obtain more accurate projections. _HAMME'YT &�EDISON, INC. - , .- , °„' n.n CONSULTING ENGINEERS Methodology SAN FanNcrsco Figure 2 IN a lla`l�P)1 it r] 0 Green = Optimum Coverage Red = Needed Coverage White = No Coverage LlCROWN c.f Highway 280./ EI Monte Site # 815031 Looking Northeast 12345 EI Monte Road 12/22/09 Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 Applied Imagination 510 914.0500 6 CRO,�/N Highway 280 / EI Monte Site # 815031 Looking Southwest 12345 EI Monte Road 12/22/09 LOS Altos HIIIS, CA 94022 Applied Imagination 510 914-0500 Attaclunent 6 TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS Policy Re: Wireless Communications Facilities Code Sections Section 10-1.703(h)(2) of the Zoning Ordinance allows service uses, including "communications facilities", to be permitted in the Town if a Conditional Use Permit is granted by the Planning Commission and City Council. Section 10-1.1107(1) of the Code outlines findings which must be made to approve a use permit, including the proper location of the use or facility relative to others in the vicinity, the adequacy of the site to accommodate the use, and that the facility or use will not have an adverse effect on adjacent properties. Intent: The purpose of this policy is to outline the desired criteria for siting of wireless communications facilities, generally including monopoles, related antennas, and equipment shelters. As the Town's land use is virtually entirely residential, wireless communication facilities will be most appropriately located on public or institutional sites existing within the Town. Collocation, location on or near existing buildings, and landscape screening will be desired to minimize the visual impacts of the facilities on neighbors and the public. Policies: 1. Priorities for Siting. Wireless communication facilities shall generally be located on properties with priority as follows: a) Town -owned properties; b) Foothill College; c) water tanks; d) other public or quasi -public facilities, such as schools or churches; and e) residential properties of at least ten (10) acres. 2. Siting on Residential Parcels. Wireless communication facilities may be permitted on properties used for residential purposes or vacant parcels intended for residential use if the residential property owner provides written consent and significant visual impacts are mitigated. 3. Collocation. Collocation of wireless communication facilities with other facilities is encouraged to the maximum extent feasible, as long as the collocation is technologically compatible and does not substantially increase visual impacts. The Town will generally require as a condition of approval for any conditional use permit that the applicant permit collocation of other facilities, subject to technological constraints and Town review. Policy Re: Wireless Communications Facilities page 2 3a. Applications for collocation on an existing wireless communications facility shall be subject to an administrative review provided that the following requirement is met: The collocated antennas and ground equipment shall be mounted or installed within an existing tower, building, or structure where the physical appearance of the existing facility is not altered to accommodate the additional antennas and equipment. 4. Landscape Screening and Color. Landscape screening shall be required by the Town to minimize the visual impacts of wireless communication facilities. Poles, antennas, and equipment buildings should be painted to blend with the surrounding environment and/or buildings to further minimize visual impacts. 5. Environmental Review. A Negative Declaration will typically be prepared for review of proposed wireless communication facilities, with special attention to the visual impacts of the facilities. Categorical exemptions may be used where facilities are collocated with or would be minimal additions to existing structures, with negligible additional visual impact. 6. Antenna Master Plans. Any applicant for a wireless communication facility site shall submit applications, to the best of their knowledge, for all sites anticipated to be required by the carrier for a three (3) to five (5) year period, and the requests shall be reviewed by the Planning Commission and City Council as a master plan application. 7. Term of Permits and Abandonment of Sites. Conditional use permits for wireless communication facilities shall be established for periods not to exceed five (5) years, at which time renewal of the permit must be requested by the applicant. More frequent review of -the operation of the permit may be made a condition of approval. Approval will also require a written agreement from the applicant that, should the use be discontinued by the carrier, all facilities will be removed not later than ninety (90) days after discontinuance of the use or abandonment. Such a provision shall also be included in any lease with the .Town for use of Town lands for wireless communications facilities. The Town may require bonding or other surety to assure the removal of such facilities. 8. Wireless communication firms shall, at the time of application for permits, demonstrate efforts which have been made to inform neighboring residents of the proposed facilities, such as conducting meetings, or mailing fact sheets and/or letters, etc. to neighbors. 9. The Planning Director is authorized to reduce or waive permit fees for any wireless communications facility that is proven to expand wireless, coverage in the Town and is structurally capable of co -location. ' Policy Re: Wireless Communications Facilities page 3 10. The Planning Director is authorized to administratively approve portable wireless communications facilities also known as cell on wheels or COWs on certain properties as specified in Policy #1 on a temporary basis. Approved by City Council: August 21, 1996 Amended September 15, 2005 Amended October 12, 2006