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• Facilities that are potentially visually obtrusive or potentially incompatible.with adjacent land uses ip would be considered major projects and would be subject to the public hearing process. An example of a major project would be a freestanding facility (such as a lattice tower or monopole which supports antennas),located where the potential for screening is low. The administrative process for discretionary permits is generally shorter, simpler, and less costly than the public hearing process. Therefore,wireless communications providers, for which time and cost are vital concerns, would opt in most cases for an administrative permit process. The net effect of a two-level permit process would be to encourage the construction of wireless communications - facilities that have minimized visual effects and that are more in keeping with the character of the surrounding community. 6. Review local zoning ordinances to determine the Most appropriate zoning districts for the different types of wireless communications facilities. • Most local zoning ordinances were adopted prior to the recent expansion of the wireless communications industry. In general, the existing regulations governing communications land uses were intended to focus on more traditional communications technologies such as television and radio broadcast, and typically do not differentiate between various types of facilities. However, wireless communications technology differs from the more traditional technologies because it typically employs shorter facilities at lower power to cover a limited geographic service area. (In comparison, traditional broadcast facilities transmit signals from tall towers at higher power levels in order to reach as many people in as large a geographic area as possible.) In recognition of the functional differences of the wireless communications industry, local jurisdictions should re-evaluate their local zoning ordinances and determine which zoning districts are suitable for wireless communications land uses. As with all other land use categories, Iocal agencies should categorize wireless communications facilities based on their planning and land use impacts. Local jurisdictions, for example, may consider permitting wireless communications facilities in commercial and industrial zones (either by right or subject to administrative approval), and restricting those facilities in single-family residential zones. It will be up to individual jurisdictions to determine the most app priate zoning districts for reiess_communications_uses. If there is an interest among local jurisdictions in the San Diego region, SANDAG can assist in coordinating a joint effort to develop model zoning regulations for wireless communications facilities. Samples of local zoning ordinances are included in Appendix 2. S 8