Rockland City Council recently developed a tower and small cell ordinance to establish standards for telecommunications structures within city limits. According to the Penobscot Bay Pilot, the council also amended a special-use class ordinance.
The council aims to establish standards for citing and height requirements of towers, including the number of antennas erected. The ordinance also encourages the use of existing structures, co-location, and designs that minimize adverse visual impacts.
Some of the details of the 26-point ordinance include:
- Defining “telecommunications tower” as any mast, pole, monopole, lattice tower, or any structure designed used to support one or more antennas used to transmit, receive, distribute, provide, or offer wireless telecommunications services.
- In general, no tower can exceed 100 feet in height, unless an area has a higher tree canopy. Consideration would be made to allow the tower to extend no more than 20 percent above the canopy, not to exceed 120 feet in height.
- No new telecommunications facility shall be located in any residential zone or with 1,000 feet of any residential zone.
- Prior to commencing regular operation of the facility, all facility owners and operators must submit a certificate of compliance with all current FCC regulations concerning electromagnetic radiation and other electronic emissions applicable to the facility.
The revised rulings came after the Planning Board denied a monopole project, which opened a discussion regarding rules for governing and siting towers, in general, reported the Pilot.
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