Tighter rules for the locations of cell towers in Spokane, WA, has been the result of a six-month moratorium on new towers in the city. The moratorium, now over since the new rules have been ratified, clear the way for increased tower height. Negotiations included city staff, telecommunications representatives, and neighborhood activists. The new rules were passed unanimously by the Spokane City Council.
Overall, the negotiations went smoothly, especially for Patricia Hansen, a Cliff-Cannon resident who was involved in the talks. She said, “There was such fear about doing this. I was pleasantly stunned with how congenial it was,” she told the Spokane Spokesman-Review.
The new rules deal with companies that want to raise towers within 150 feet of residential zones. Companies now must exhaust all of their options to improve and upgrade existing cell facilities or other structures of a similar height to avoid new constructions. Council President Ben Stuckart believed this was an optimum compromise. He said, “We can’t outright ban it, but you can set up proper hierarchies” (Spokesman-Review). Councilman Jon Snyder said the council was limited by federal laws with how far they could constrain companies wanting to install towers.
It still remains to be seen how the new rules will affect future tower installations.
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