HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 19-035 APPROVING SMALL WIRELESS AESTHETIC STANDARDSCITY OF ST. ANTHONY VILLAGE
HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA
RESOLUTION 19 -035
RESOLUTION TO APPROVE SMALL WIRELESS AESTHETIC STANDARDS
WHEREAS, the City of St. Anthony has adopted Chapter 98, an ordinance relating to
small wireless facilities, establishing general standards, a permitting process, general permitting
conditions, and other requirements; and
WHEREAS, the City of St. Anthony desires to have the highest quality of wireless
services available while minimizing the negative aesthetic impacts of the small wireless facilities;
and
WHEREAS, the City of St. Anthony has developed aesthetic standards related to small
wireless facilities to guide design and placement of facilities; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of St.
Anthony Village approves the small wireless aesthetic standards.
Adopted this 9th day of April, 2019.
ATTEST:
Nicole Miller, City Clerk
rome O. Faust, Mayor
Reviewed or administration:
Mark Casey, City/Manager
Small Wireless Aesthetic Standards
Findings
The City desires the most advanced and highest quality wireless services available. The City also
wishes to minimize the negative impacts associated with wireless facility deployments including
small wireless facilities. Such negative impacts may include interference with right-of-way sight
lines, aesthetic impacts that are inconsistent with the surrounding area, fall zone and clear zone
risks, navigation obstacles, interference with future right-of-way improvement or transportation
improvement plans, interference with the installation or maintenance of other utilities, and
increased visual or noise pollution.
To address such impacts, any person desiring to collocate small wireless facilities or place new
wireless support structures in the right-of-way must first obtain a small wireless facility permit
pursuant to the City’s right-of-way ordinance, Code Section. Moreover, any person seeking to
collocate small wireless facilities on an existing wireless support structure owned or controlled by
the City must first enter a standard collocation agreement.
The following aesthetic standards and requirements are intended to maintain the City’s aesthetic
environment while also allowing for the availability wireless services, including broadband and
“5G” services, using small wireless facilities. These standards are intended to establish clear and
consistent aesthetic standards for small wireless facility placements in the City and establish a
streamlined review and approval process. The City will make these standards publicly available.
These standards apply to all small wireless facility permit applications for placement of small
wireless facilities on City-owned and non-City-owned support structures (poles), and the
placement or replacement of small wireless support structures in the public right-of-way.
Compliance with these standards is a requirement for, and condition of, issuance of a small
wireless facility permit. Any installation that does not conform to these standards will be in
violation of the associated permit and the City’s right-of-way ordinance.
In addition to the following standards, the placement of new support structures for small wireless
facilities shall be subject to any conditions specified in the small wireless facility permit.
Applications to install small wireless facilities or place new support structures in districts zoned
for residential uses or within a historic district established by federal or state law or city ordinance,
shall further be subject to any conditions contained in the required conditional use permit
authorizing such installation.
With respect to City-owned support structures, these standards additionally seek to:
1. establish a menu of design options for providers to select from when applying for
new small wireless facility permits associated with City support structures.
2. minimize unnecessary placement of new poles by encouraging co-location of small
wireless facilities.
3. in situations where City support structures will be replaced, require that the
structures be of a stealth design such that the maximum amount of facilities,
including any wiring, are concealed inside the structure.
4. in situations where attachments will be made to existing poles, require that
facilities, equipment, cabling, and conduit be concealed through the use of
approved shrouding or camouflaging.
Section 1. Site Plans
Applicants must submit site plans, elevation drawings and structural calculations prepared and
signed by a Professional Engineer licensed by the State of Minnesota as detailed below. Site plans
must depict any adjoining or nearby existing wireless facilities, with all existing transmission
equipment identified; neighboring public improvements; the proposed small wireless facility, with
all proposed transmission equipment and other improvements, and; the boundaries of the area
surrounding the proposed facility and any associated access or utility easements and setbacks. Site
plans must further include:
1. Photo Simulations: For all applications, photo simulations must be included. Such
photo simulations must be from at least three line-of-site locations near the
proposed project site depicting the viewpoints of the greatest pedestrian or
vehicular traffic.
2. Equipment Specifications: For all equipment depicted on the plans, the applicant
must include:
a. the manufacturer’s name and model number;
b. physical dimensions including, without limitation, height, width, depth,
volume and weight with mounts and other necessary hardware;
c. technical rendering of all external components, including enclosures and all
attachment hardware; and
d. a selection from the City’s approved aesthetic standards.
Section 2. Design Standards
The City desires to promote aesthetically acceptable and area conforming wireless facilities using
the smallest and least intrusive means available to provide small wireless services to the
community. All facilities in the public right-of-way must comply with all applicable provisions in
this section.
Antennas: Antennas must be top-mounted and concealed within a radome (a structural,
weatherproof enclosure that protects an antenna and is constructed of material that minimally
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attenuates the signal transmitted/received by such antenna) or otherwise concealed to the extent
feasible. Cable connections, antenna mounts and other hardware must also be concealed. The
radome or other concealment must be non-reflective and painted or otherwise colored to match the
existing support structure.
Collocation: Collocations between wireless service providers on the same support structure
is required wherever feasible. If an applicant chooses to not collocate in areas where options are
or appear to be available, the applicant must document that collocation is infeasible.
Concealment: Concealment elements must be incorporated into the proposed design of the
small wireless facility installation, and must include approved camouflaging or shrouding
techniques.
Pole-Mounted Equipment Cages/Shrouds: When facilities are permitted to be pole-
mounted, facilities other than the antenna(s), electric meter and disconnect switch must be
concealed within an equipment shroud. The facilities must be installed at a height that presents the
least aesthetic impact, but in no event lower than fifteen (15’) feet above ground level. The
equipment shroud must be non-reflective and painted, wrapped or otherwise colored to match the
support structure. Shrouds must be mounted flush to the support where feasible. Standoff mounts
must provide the minimum separation distance from the support structure necessary for feasibility.
New Poles: New support structures must be the same color as neighboring, similar support
structures and of the same design characteristics.
Ground-Mounted Equipment: Ground-mounted equipment must be installed below grade
or, if technically necessary, concealed in a ground-mounted cabinet. In addition to any applicable
requirements in the City’s right-of-way ordinance, Code Section, ground mounted cabinets must:
1. be installed flush to the ground;
2. be the same color as neighboring, similar support cabinets or other ground-mounted
structures;
3. on or adjoining sidewalks, trails, or other similar passageways, not interfere in any
way with the flow of pedestrian, bicycle or vehicular traffic;
4. conform to the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) including with respect to
appropriate sidewalk spacing; and
5. not create a safety hazard;
Lights: Unless otherwise required for compliance with FAA or FCC regulations, small
wireless facilities shall not include any lights or lighting. This subsection does not prohibit
installations on streetlights or the installation of luminaires or additional street lighting on new
support structures if and where required by the City.
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Section 3. Location Criteria
Obstructions: Any new support structure or other facilities associated with a new or
existing support structure must not obstruct access to:
1. any existing above-ground or underground right-of-way user facilities, or public
facilities;
2. any public infrastructure for traffic control, streetlight or public transportation
purposes, including without limitation any curb control sign, parking meter,
vehicular traffic sign or signal, pedestrian traffic sign or signal, barricade reflectors;
3. any public transportation vehicles, shelters, street furniture or other improvements
at any public transportation stop (including, without limitation, bus stops, streetcar
stops, and bike share stations);
4. fire hydrants;
5. any doors, gates, sidewalk doors, passage doors, stoops or other ingress and egress
points to any building appurtenant to the right-of-way; and/or
6. any fire escapes.
Section 4. New and Replacement Support Structures
New Support Structures: Any new support structures shall be placed:
1. a minimum of feet from any existing support structure or pole, and
2. at a distance which is the same as the prevailing separation distance among existing
structures and poles in the surrounding vicinity as agreed upon by the applicant and
City, or determined by the City where agreement cannot be reached.
3. as functional streetlights as the City may require, in its reasonable discretion.
4. in alignment with existing trees, utility poles, and streetlights.
5. an equal distance between trees when possible, with a minimum of 15 feet
separation such that no proposed disturbance shall occur within the critical root
zone of any tree.
6. with appropriate clearance from existing utilities.
7. outside of a 20-foot equipment clear zone (for base cabinets less than 18-inches in
diameter) or 30-foot clear sight triangle (for base cabinets equal to or greater than
18-inches in diameter) at intersection corners.
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8. so as not to be located along the frontage of a Historic building, deemed historic on
a federal, state, or local level.
9. so as not to significantly create a new obstruction to property sight lines.
10. at shared property lines if feasible.
11. not within feet of the apron of a fire station or other emergency service responder
facility.
Replacement of City-Owned Support Structures: Any replaced support structures shall
remain in their existing location unless otherwise permitted by the City. Replacement pole height
shall not exceed 50 feet, or the height of the existing pole, whichever is greater.
New and Replacement Structures. All support structures must:
be constructed of aluminum or steel.
where constructed as a light pole, luminaire(s) and luminaire arm(s) must match
adjacent city lighting standard and must contain an LED fixture in accordance with
City specifications.
Section 5. Menu of Options
The Director has pictures and profile drawings representing appropriate installation designs for
small wireless facilities installations on new and existing support structures in the right of way.
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