18.4.10.040 Design Standards

All wireless communication facilities shall be located, designed, constructed, treated, and maintained in accordance with the following standards.

1. All facilities shall be installed and maintained in compliance with the requirements of the Building Code. At the time of building permit application, written statements from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Aeronautics Section of the Oregon Department of Transportation, and the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) confirming that the proposed wireless communication facility complies with regulations administered by that agency or that the facility is exempt from regulation.

2. All associated transmittal equipment must be housed in a building, above or below ground level, which must be designed and landscaped to achieve minimal visual impact with the surrounding environment.

3. Wireless communication facilities shall be exempted from height limitations imposed in each zone.

4. Wireless communication facilities shall be installed at the minimum height and mass necessary for its intended use. A submittal verifying the proposed height and mass shall be prepared by a licensed engineer.

5. Lattice towers are prohibited as freestanding wireless communication support structures.

6. Signage for wireless communication facilities shall consist of a maximum of two non-illuminated signs, with a maximum of two square feet each, stating the name of the facility operator and a contact phone number.

7. The applicant is required to remove all equipment and structures from the site and return the site to its original condition, or condition as approved by the Staff Advisor, if the facility is abandoned for a period greater than six months. Removal and restoration must occur within 90 days of the end of the six-month period.

8. All new wireless communication support structures shall be constructed so as to allow other users to collocate on the facility.

B. Preferred Designs. The following preferred designs are a stepped hierarchy, and the standards shall be applied in succession from subsection a to e, with the previous standard exhausted before moving to the following design alterative. For the purpose of chapter 18.4.10, feasible is defined as capable of being done, executed or effected; possible of realization. A demonstration of feasibility requires a substantial showing that a preferred design can or cannot be accomplished.

1. Collocation. Where possible, the use of existing wireless communication facilities sites for new installations shall be encouraged. Collocation of new facilities on existing facilities shall be the preferred option. Where technically feasible, collocate new facilities on pre-existing structures with wireless communication facilities in place or on pre-existing towers.

2. Attached to Existing Structure. If (a) above is not feasible, wireless communication facilities shall be attached to pre-existing structures, when feasible.

3. Alternative Structure. If (a) or (b) above are not feasible, alternative structures shall be used with design features that conceal, camouflage, or mitigate the visual impacts created by the proposed wireless communication facilities.

4. Freestanding Support Structure. If (1), (2), or (3) listed above are not feasible, a monopole design shall be used with the attached antennas positioned in a vertical manner to lessens the visual impact compared to the antennas in a platform design. Platform designs shall be used only if it is shown that the use of an alternate attached antenna design is not feasible.

5. Lattice towers are prohibited as freestanding wireless communication support structures.

1. The collocation feasibility study shall meet all of the following requirements.

a. Document that alternative sites have been considered and are technologically unfeasible or unavailable.

b. Demonstrate that a reasonable effort was made to locate collocation sites that meet the applicant’s service coverage area needs.

c. Document the reasons collocation can or cannot occur.

2. Relief from collocation under this section may be granted at the discretion of the approval authority if the application and independent third party analysis demonstrate collocation is not feasible because one or more of the following conditions exist at prospective collocation sites.

a. A significant service gap in coverage area.

b. Sufficient height cannot be achieved by modifying existing structure or towers.

c. Structural support requirements cannot be met.

d. Collocation would result in electronic, electromagnetic, obstruction, or other radio frequency interference.

D. Landscaping. The following standards apply to all wireless communication facilities with any primary or accessory equipment located on the ground and visible from a residential use or the public right-of-way.

1. Vegetation and materials shall be selected and sited to produce a drought resistant landscaped area.

2. The perimeter of the wireless communication facilities shall be enclosed with a security fence or wall. Such barriers shall be landscaped in a manner that provides a natural sight obscuring screen around the barrier to a minimum height of six feet.

3. The outer perimeter of the wireless communication facilities shall have a ten foot landscaped buffer zone ten feet in width.

4. The landscaped area shall be irrigated and maintained to provide for proper growth and health of the vegetation.

5. One tree shall be required per 20 feet of the landscape buffer zone to provide a continuous canopy around the perimeter of the wireless communication facilities. Each tree shall have a caliper of two inches, measured at breast height, at the time of planting.

1. Wireless communication facilities shall be located in the area of minimal visual impact within the site which will allow the facility to function consistent with its purpose.

2. Wireless communication facilities, in any zone, must be set back from any residential zone a distance equal to twice its overall height. The setback requirement may be reduced if, as determined by the approval authority, it can be demonstrated through findings of fact that increased mitigation of visual impact can be achieved within of the setback area. Underground accessory equipment is not subject to the setback requirement.

3. Antennas attached to a pre-existing or alternative structure shall be integrated into the existing building architecturally and to the greatest extent possible shall not exceed the height of the pre-existing or alternative structure.

4. Antennas attached to a pre-existing or alternative structure shall have a non-reflective finish and color that blends with the color and design of the structure to which it is attached.

5. All wireless communication support structures must have a non-reflective finish and color that will mitigate visual impact, unless otherwise required by other government agencies.

6. Exterior lighting for a wireless communication facility is permitted only when required by a federal or state authority.

7. Should it be deemed necessary by the approval authority for the mitigation of visual impact of the wireless communication facility, additional design measures may be required. These may include, but are not limited to: additional camouflage materials and designs, facades, specific colors and materials, masking, and shielding techniques.