CLEARLAKE >> After receiving multiple applications for wireless communication facilities, the Clearlake City Council will hold a public hearing Thursday to consider an addition to the city’s zoning ordinance to regulate such systems.
Most of the applications received by the city consist of large cellular transmission tower installation proposals, according to Clearlake City Manager Greg Folsom. The purpose of the hearing is to garner public comment and allow the council time to review a draft of the ordinance, which will be considered by the Clearlake Planning Commission during a public hearing on Aug. 18.
Copies of the draft ordinance have also been sent to representatives of the cellular industry for comment, Folsom stated in his report to the council.
According to the draft ordinance, a maximum height of 35 feet for telecommunication facilities is proposed, unless more is required to comply with federal and state health and safety laws. Installation cannot be mounted on single-family houses or duplexes.
The proposed ordinance also describes acceptable structures allowed in public right-of-ways, which includes antennas less that 26 inches tall, radio boxes less than two cubic feet, equipment not requiring above-ground installation and a minimum distance of 500 feet from residential districts.
Multiple ground and building-mounted structures such as citizens band radio antennas, as well as radio and television antennas or satellite dishes that are only capable of receiving signals are exempt from the ordinance — granting that they do not exceed the zoning district’s height requirement.
Additionally, facilities used for public safety or homeland security will be exempt.
A checklist of requirements for proposed projects will also be reviewed by all parties.
Included in the requirements are a project description that details services provided, power ratings and site capacity; a site restoration plan; Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensing documentation and a visual analysis.
Any appeal regarding wireless communication facilities must be submitted with 10 days of its approval or denial.
After the hearing, the council will make suggests to staff and send the draft ordinance to the planning commission, who will either approve or deny it. A second reading and adoption by the council will be the ordinance’s final step.
Contact J. W. Burch, IV at 900-2022.
