06/14/2000 P&Z Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• • • STAFF ORIGINATOR: P & Z MEETING DATE: TOPIC: BACKGROUND AGENDA ITEM 5H Jeff Smyser June 14, 2000 PUBLIC HEARING: Ordinance 10 -00 PCS Tower Moratorium On May 22 the City Council adopted Resolution #00 -67 directing staff to initiate the process for adopting a moratorium on new towers for personal wireless services, such as wireless telephone services. The resolution also set a public hearing at the June 14 P & Z meeting. The attached Ordinance No. 10 -00 establishes the moratorium. MN Statute 462.355 Subd. 4 authorizes a municipality to adopt an interim ordinance (moratorium) for the purpose of protecting a planning process when conducting a study. Staff has begun a towers location study. This study will inventory existing facilities in the area with the goal of determining where new facilities likely will be needed. To the extent we can do this, we can plan for those locations and minimize the number of towers. We are also asking surrounding communities to join in the study. With their cooperation, we hope to minimize the number of new towers in all our communities and still provide for full PCS service in compliance with federal law. We also will ask for the cooperation of the providers of wireless services, such as the firms that lease space on our water towers. We hope the study will be beneficial to all involved, including the participating cities and the wireless service providers. Our City Attorney advises us that once the City Council initiated the process by directing staff to prepare a moratorium ordinance, we can forestall approvals of applications for new towers until the study is completed. A moratorium on new tower applications will be treated as an amendment to the zoning ordinance. The following schedule gives the anticipated timeline: May 22 City Council meeting: initiate process for adopting 90 -day moratorium by directing staff to prepare ordinance and setting public hearing date June 14 public hearing at Planning & Zoning Board meeting June 26 first reading of ordinance at City Council meeting July 10 second reading of ordinance at City Council meeting July 17 ordinance published in newspaper August 16 ordinance effective (30 days after publication) November 14 90 -day moratorium expires