HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Comm Reports/1993/10/13 (6)
City Planning Commission
Agenda Item for Meeting of October 13, 1993
Page #1
4.
PUBLIC HEARING:
Conditional Use Permit PCC-94-06: Request to Construct
a 60' Cellular Antenna and Communications EQuivment
Shelter at 775 Anita Street in the IL-P Zone - AVDlicant:
U.S. West Cellular
A. BACKGROUND
1. U.S. West Cellular is proposing to construct a 60' high cellular antenna and a
communications equipment shelter in the IL-P Zone located at 775 Anita Street
approximately 750 feet east of Interstate 5 adjacent to the southern property line
behind the main building located at this address (APN 622-102-33) (see
Attachment "A").
2. On August 8, 1993, the Environmental Review Coordinator detennined that this
project is generally exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental
Quality Act per Section 15061(b)(3) (General Rule).
B. RECOMMENDATION
Adopt Resolution No. PCC-94-06 recommending that the City Council approve
conditional use permit PCC-94-06 based on the findings and subject to the conditions
contained in the attached draft City Council Resolution.
C. DISCUSSION
1. Adjacent Zoning and Land Use:
Site
North
South
East
West
ZONING
IL-P
R2-P
IL-P
IL-P
IL-P
LAND USE
Manufacturing
Residential
Warehousing
Manufacturing
Warehousing
2. Existing Site Characteristics:
The site currently contains a 46,080 sq. ft. industrial building containing various types
of industrial/manufacturing uses along with approximately 85 parking spaces and two
trash enclosures. Access to the site is from two driveways, one at the northeast and one
at the northwest corners. The northeastern driveway is shared with the property
immediately to the east. Immediately south of the site is the RTA warehouse/truck
tenninal, while to the west and east existing industrial/manufacturing buildings exist.
Several residential structures are located across Anita Street to the north.
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City Planning Commission
Agenda Item for Meeting of October 13, 1993
Page #2
3. Proposed Use:
The applicant is proposing to construct a 60' high cellular telephone antenna, topped by
a 5 foot antenna platform and a 432 sq. ft. equipment structure along the southern
property boundary behind the existing industrial building. The monopole and equipment
structure will be surrounded by a six foot high protective fence.
The antenna support structure will also have digital radio dish antennae placed on it at
various heights above ground level. These digital radio dish antennae will range in size
from two to eight feet in diameter. Depending on the size, anywhere from two to four
of these dish antennae may be placed on the monopole.
A six foot chain link fence topped by strands of barbed wire will be installed around the
base of the monopole and equipment shelter for security purposes.
4. Similar Establishments:
On May 18, 1993, the Planning Commission and City Council approved PCC-93-16, a
conditional use permit submitted by PacTel Cellular for a 60' high cellular antenna, six
foot high fence, and a communications equipment shelter in the IL-P Zone. The PacTel
site is on the adjoining parcel to the west located at 779 Anita Street immediately
adjacent to Interstate 5 at the southwest corner of APN 622-102-12. The PacTel site is
approximately 550 feet southwest of the proposed U.S. West Cellular site. See
Attachment "B" for the location of the Pac Tel antenna and the proposed location of the
U.S. West antenna.
PacTel Cellular has submitted for and received Building Department approval to
construct their antenna and intends to have the antenna constructed and operating by
November 1, 1993.
D. ANALYSIS
The siting of a cellular antenna is most appropriate in an industrial area. Since the
adjoining industrial structure is more than 25 feet in height and is used for manufacturing
or warehousing purposes, the antenna and equipment shelter will not be out of character.
In addition, the antenna will be located to the rear of the main building away from the
residential area across Anita Street approximately 450 feet to the north. The top of the
antenna will be visible from the residential area, but the surrounding trees and the color
(galvanized gray) will assist in blending it into the background. Painting the antenna
galvanized gray is a condition of project approval.
F:\HOME\PLANNING\USWEST\9406PC. RPT
.y, 2..
City Planning Commission
Agenda Item for Meeting of October 13, 1993
Page #3
Another condition of project approval is that the maximum height of the antenna with the
antenna platform is 60 feet. The platform is shown on the elevations as being atop the
60 foot monopole to a height of about 65 feet. Because the PacTel antenna was approved
to a maximum of 60 feet above ground level to the top of the antenna platform, u.s.
West is conditioned to the same height. Each cellular company has the option of placing
15 foot whip-type antenna atop the platform along with dish-type antenna on the
monopole.
u.s. West will not have personnel present on-site on a permanent basis since there are
no living/office spaces proposed as part of this project. The only time anyone will be
present is during construction and for periodic maintenance.
Attachment "C" describes the "clients" who will use this cellular system. Basically, u.s.
West wishes to place the antenna at this location because of the need to serve as many
cellular phone users as possible and to serve the roadside emergency call boxes located
on Interstate 5 and emergency response agencies such as the fire and police departments.
In addition, U. S . West Cellular serves the Office of Disaster Preparedness by providing
"reliable phone communication during natural and man-made emergencies when typical
land-line phones are inoperative".
In the brochure supplied by U.S. West (Attachment "D"), the amount of radiation
produced by cellular use is compared to other uses. Radiation from cellular antennas is
less than that of a cordless phone, hand-held CB radio or standing one foot from a
microwave oven. The information contained in the brochure is consistent with the
information contained in the PacTel application. Based on this, staff concluded that the
U.S. West facility would pose very little electromagnetic hazard to the public.
u.s. West and PacTel are the only two providers of cellular service in the region.
Assuming this application is approve, there will be no need to erect additional cellular
antennae within this service area.
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CHULA VISTA PLANNING DEPARTMENT
C) APPLICANT: U S WEST PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
CELLULAR To construct a 60' tall cellular antenna
ADDRESS: 775 ANITA STREET and support structure.
SCALE: FILE NUMBER: Attachment "A "
NORTH 1" = 400' PCC - 94 - 06
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U S WEST CELLULAR
Conditional Use Permit Application
Project Description
The cellular antenna facility proposed by U S WEST Cellular of California would consist
of a freestanding, 6Q-foot monopole with a triangular antenna shroud located at the top.
The shroud would screen a total of 12 sector antennas. A 4-foot diameter microwave dish
would be located at the 50-foot level on the monopole. The antenna facility would be
located adjacent to the existing industrial building at 775 Anita Street. A six-foot chain-link
fence would surround the base of the monopole. Equipment associated with the facility and
necessary to operate the cellular system would be located within a leased portion of the
existing building. Tenant improvements including a new outside access door would be
completed. Existing landscape areas will be retained on site. One handicapped parking
space would be relocated immediately north of the fence structure to accommodate the
antenna.
Cellular is the technology of wireless phone communication. Rather than telephone wires,
voices are carried on radio waves. A cellular system consists of many low-powered antennas
in a honeycomb pattern of "cells" that invisibly blanket an area.
Today, cellular phones are used throughout the business and professional communities, the
agricultural community and virtually all facets of the public and private sectors, including
police, emergency and medical service providers. In San Diego County, U S WEST Cellular
provides service to the roadside emergency call boxes located on all major freeways. In
addition, the Office of Disaster Preparedness relies on U S WEST cellular service to
maintain reliable phone communication during natural and man-made emergencies when
typical land-line phones are inoperative.
The attached brochure provides basic information to many questions regarding cellular,
including the need for new sites and the process of identifying a new cell location. The
proposed facility is required to add additional channels and capacity to the south San Diego
area and to relieve call interference caused by cellular signals originating from the cellular
system in Baja California.
The specific site at 775 Anita Street was chosen after engineering analysis of the area and
a real estate search for available property. The existing industrial land use designation and
the topography also lend to siting the facility at this location. The City has recently
approved a similar facility for the other cellular carrier operating in San Diego County.
While that facility is near the proposed U S WEST site on Anita Street, collocating the two
facilities on the same monopole would require re-structuring and engineering of the pole
as well as a height increase to accommodate necessary antenna separation. The overall
appearance of a collocate facility may be more noticeable and obtrusive than a second
facility as proposed. In addition, each cellular carrier operates a completely separate and
independently engineered system. While individual cell site locations may coincide, small
differences in the overall system may require a new cell site to be located even short
distances away in order to operate at an optimal level.
L/.- ,
Attachment "C"
Commonly Asked Questions about Proposed Cell Sites
1. What will it.look like?
Over the past years, system growth and technological
advancement have e~bled cellular carriers to design new cell
sites to be less intrusive on the existing rural and urban landscape.
Typically, cellular communications facilities can be found in one
of three fonnats:, a lattice support structure, a slender monopole
with an antenna shroud at the top, or a building collocation.
Lattice support toweI> are used in areas whete great height is
needed and/or where inclement weather 'requires substantially
more support. Monopoles are more.commonly used and consist
of a single pole, approximately 2.5-feet in diameter at the base,
tapering to L5-feet at the top, The cellular antennas are mounted
to a triangular support structure at the top, Monopole heights can ,
range from 25-feet to over i OO-feet depending on the service area
of the facility. Building collocations consist of placing the
, anterina structure found at the top of a monopole on the roof of
an existing building. Sometimes, the sides of the triangular
structure are separated in order to maximize the service output.
Another type of building colloyation involves mounting cellular
. antennas, sometimes as small as I -foot by 2-foot in size, to the
sides of an existing structure such as a building or water tankThe
antennas can be painted to match the structure thereby minimizing
the visual impact of the facility. This fonn of building colloca-
tion can only be used in areas where the required height can be
obtained and where existing syste!:1l operations can accommodate
the new facility at that precise location,
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2. Why here?
Once the decision is made tOJOxpand the system to either provide
increased capacity or better, coverage, the cell site selection
process begins (see Cell Site Selection). The fmal decision of
choosing a site to take through ~e lanq use approval process is
made after careful consideration of all the factors including
system engineering needs; topography, existing strUctures and .
.development, zoning and property availability, In all c~ses, more
than one site bas been evaluated prior to selecting the most
Ij . ."' ,
favorable location. The precise reasoning behind the fmal site
selection for an individual cell will vary on a 'case by case basis.
3. How many more will be needed in our jurisdiction?
Since there are only two celhilar catriers granted license to
operate in any given area, the number of cell sites will be limited
to that required to allow. those two competing operators to
provide quality service. The number of sites also depends on the
amount of calls needing to be serviced in an area. Cell site
locations are not dependeitt on jurisdictional boundaries; the
_ decision to pursue a site is based on system demand, topography,
surrounding land uses, zoning and property availability, The
ultimate number of cells ina _community will depend on the
cellularphonetraffic in the surrounding area. Future technological .
advances may increase capacity at existing sites and/or may
create sites th~t are less. intrusiye on the existing environment.
4. Who benefits?
.In addition to the incr<!ased capacity and quality generated for.
individual system users, a new cell site benefits the general
public in theIonn of emergency services, In major metropolitan
areas, cellular roadside call boxes have been ~talled along
freeways and highways to enable a stranded traveler to reach the
highway patrol or other fonn of assistance immediately. Other
public service providers including police, sheriff, fITe, paramedic
units and emergency. response teams rely on the cellular system.
as a prim'ary fonnof communication. Continued main~enance
and upgrades to the cellular system allow these customers to
provide their services to the general public.
5. What about land ~se, visual and Itealth Impacts?
The c~ll site selection prOceSs always considers the impacts a
new site may have on surrounding land uses and particular
concern is given to the visual impacts. When possible, a site~is
chosen adjacent to ex,isting utility facilities such as water tanksl
\1tihty lines and other anteimas. In urban areas. buildin~
collocations are conSidered. Incorporation of the antennas into
building design and architecture has also been.. part of mitigating
visual irripacts. Radiofrequency electromagnetic emissions from
cellular antennas have been shoWn to be so far below any
documented levelS producing hazardous biological eff~cts and
all recognized safety sbudards that they constitute no hazard to
public health or safety. The secrion on Public Safety-in this
..btochure goes into further detail on this issue.
Cellular and Other Transmissions
. Cellular Does Not Interfere With Other Transmissions
To maximize the capacity of the system, cellnlar antennas
transmit at very low power. This allows the same frequencies to.
be used simultaneously in nOI1-adjacent .cells. US WEST
Ne\VVector Group Operates hundreds of cell sites in its market'
a~ and has never causeq any interference problems with other
transmissions. , ~
. Ultr~
Gamma Violet Visible
R~ys X Rays Light
Cellular Phones
tnf!"red' ~it:rlJWave I~/FM
AM
Radio
1,1.11,1'1.,1,1..1/
101\1." 1011 1015....1013 1011 .109
EI..BcrROMAGNETIc: SPECTRUM........... ."'..
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C lIular Phones
/ UHF. TV Chsnn~!s 1; 13
I... ~ I I J
~07, I~.. 103
'Fre.qucncy/Hz
" -- I~ 'I~ ~
Radio frequencies are a precious nati'omil resource for which - , , FreqlWlcy!Hz
there is a tremendous and growing demand. The Federal the broad range of frequencies and the narroW segment of this
Communications Commission (FCC) regulates the Ilse of radio spectrum that constitutes radio and television frequencies and
frequencies throughout the .United States. The graphs ilJ,us~ate . ,th';'e allotted to cellular phone transmissions, ~ . c
.. . ...,. '.' '.. 4 -l C ',,>., ,~'., .' ".
Public Safety Questions
\
. Cellular Operates on Radio Frequencies
In recent years there has been concern over possible health
effects from radio frequency (RF) energy. This energy is around
us every day, coming from commercial radIo and TV, radar,
amateur radios, and-other sources. The frequencies used'by the
cellular phone network are the same ones assigned previously to
. certain UHF TV channels, and so have been in the airwaves for
many years.
. Cellular Compared to Other Sources
Radiofrequency electromagnetic emissions, orradiation, consists
of waves of electric and magnetic energy moving together
through space at the speed of light. The electromagnetic
'''spectrum'' includes all of th~ various fonns 'of emi~sionS from
extremely low frequency (ELF) radiation from electric power
lines to X-rays and gamma rays with very high frequencies and
correspondingly short wave lengths. In between these extremes
lie radio waves, infrared radiation, visible light.and ultraviolet
radiation. Besides cellular telephone applications, familiar uses
of radiofrequency energy includeAMandFr4 radio and television
broadcasting, cordless telephones and microwave ovens. The
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has established a
standard for safe exposure levels to RF energy. That standard is.
compared to other household sources and a typical cellular.
phone antenna in theac~ompanying graph. . \
" Cellular Transmissions are Low Power and Short Distance
All radiofrequency emissions are of the "non-ionizing" type.
That means their frequency and resulting energy level are well
below that required to change atoms and molecules which would
lead to significant genetic damage in biologicaftissue. OnlyX-
rays and gamma rays at extremely high frequencies (above
visible light) have sufficient energy to be "ionizing." In addition,
cell site antennas tiansmit relatively short distances and operate
at very low power levels. The amount of energy from a single
cellular phone channel is tyPically about the same as the energy \
required to operate a loo-watt light bulb. Each cell site may
operate anywhere from eight to fifty channels simultaneously, ..
though the channels rarely all transmit at the same time. Therefore,
the energy from a typical cell site would be equivalent to the
energy needed to operate up tq fifty loo_watt light bulbs,
depending on how many channels' are being used at one time.
. The power from a singl/ceUular cfu,nnel is about the same as
an ordinary IOO-wau light bulb.
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Cellular
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ANSI -I Fool nand Held Cordless CeUuIBr
Standard from a CB Radio i Phone
Microwave
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.comparison of W.Energy, Cellular Antennns \>S. ANSI
Stanilard & Household Sources
. Associated Microwave Transmissions are Narrow,Point~
to-Point
Some antennas in the. cellular phone network are fuicrowave
relay antennas that transmit and receive telephone messages
from cellular sites to the wireline telephone network.lhe signal
between these anteD:11as is in a directed beam, so th~ disperSion.
of RF energy outside this l1arrow beam is itlsignificant, Even
directly beneath a cellular antenna, the exposure is about half that
of an ordinary cordless phone, or less than one percent of the
ANSI standatd. .
.,
US WEST Cellular is a division of US WEST NewVector
Group. a subsidiary of US WEST,Inc., with Its corporare
headquarters loca~ in BeUevue, Washington:US WEST,
Inc. is one of the seven regional companies created by the
divestiture of AT&T in 1984.
~
,. .
Cellular Past, Pre,sent and Future
" Early System Limitations
Through the 1970. the FCC had authorized only 54 two-way
radio channels to be used for mobile photie service. FCC
regulations split the uSe of the channels between Bell and
independent telephone companies and numerous Radio Common
Carriers (RCCs). The combination of these two items yielded
mobile phone systems with low trunking efficiencY and limited
capacity. The splitting of the available spectrum into .small
segments meant customers were not able to use their phones iri
distant cities. Mountain top sites with high power output were
common. This offered a larger service are. but made it difficult
to reuse frequencies for great dist~ces.
(( ((, '))))
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, Common Mountain Top Configuration
. The Promise of a High Capacity System
Bell Labs began research fora high capacity systern in 1947. The
key concept that emerged was that channel~ would have to be
reused multiple times throughout the network. It was also
established that a large number of channels would be required to
increase the trunking efficiencY of the system. In 1974, the FCC
authorized40 MHz of spectrum to be used for this new emerging
technology. This was accomplished by eliminating channels 70
through 83 in the UHF television band. .
. The Cellular Concept is Born
Service areas were divided into smaller regil'ns called "cells".
Each cell contains a base station transmitter/receiver location.
Cells can be "split" and new cells added to increase system
capacity. Calls are served by the closest cell site in order to
improve quality. Calls in progreSs are "handed off" from one cell
to another as the user moves through the system. The use of 1 ower
power base stationS allows the reuse of channels within a small
geographic area. .
" Capacity Growth Trends ,
As a cellular system grows and "split" cells are added it is
necessary to take steps to minimize interference between sites.
Closer cell spacing requires lower.antenna heights to reduce cell
overlap. Sectorization, a process which allows cell sites to be
located closer without compromising call quality, becomes
mandatory. As the desired coverage area for each cell decreases,
, the pr~per placement of the site becomes critical. Poorly placed
calls can cause interference or leave gaps in coverage.
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J Cammon Configuration for Frequency Reuse.
" New Cellular Technology .
Research has shown that nonnal speech consists of more dead
space than sound. A ~adio wave carrying a cellular telephone
conversation would have many gaps of "dead air." Time Division
Multiple Access or TDMA is a technology which exploits the
natural breaks in speech by using the pauses .for additional
transmissions. Implementation of this approach may triple system
calling capacity. An alternative to TDMA is a technology
referred to as CDMA or Code Division Multiple Access. In
COMA, each conversation would be ~ssigned a digital code
before being scrambled over. a wide frequency spectrum. A
computer would reconstruct the conversations at the receiving
end. A possible 10- to 20-fold increase in call capacil)' may
evolve with CDMA. ,.) , I
. Personal Communications Network
The idea behind Personal Communications Network, or PCN, is
, that in the future, phone nwnber$ will be associated with .people,
not places. A person would theoretically be reachable by phone
,anywhere in the syst~m. The need for separate phones at the
horne, work place or elsewhere would be,eliminated by the fact
that people could carry per;;onal phones much like they wear
wrist watches.
Cellular Glossary
ceO. A small geographic area served by.a low.powered transmfUet, 2to 10,miles
ihradius. \
Cell Site. An installation containing the ttansmi'tters, receiverS and control
equipment necessary to conned the cellular phone system and the conventional
wireline telephone network. .
Cell Splitting. The division of a larger cell into several smaller cells to provide
more channels within the same geographical area, and therefore Providing bettef
service. '
Cellular Geographical Service Area (CGSA). A specific geographic area,
within ~hich a cellular system serves customers: Mobile customers are expected
to subscribe to cellular service within a given CGSA._ -
Digital Radio Link. A radio signal used to connect telephone circuits from a'cell
site to the central switching equipment (the MTSO). ,
Electronic SWitching System.-A computer that au,omatlcally r~utes c:alls within
the cellular system, located at a central site.
Hand.-Off. The indistinguishable automatic switching of a signal from one,cell t~
another, which occurs within a fraction of a second. _ -
,
r
Mobile Telephone Switching Office (MTS0) also known as the MTX or
"Switch". The interface between the cell sites and. the conventional wirelipe
telephone network. It serves as the central coordinator and controller, as well as
housing the switching equipment for a cellular'telephone system.
RadioCommon Carrier (RCC). J;irms lice~d by t,he Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) to provide a variety of radio services to the public, including
dispatch and paging se!Vices. Many RCCs now own cellular licenses. us WEST
NewVector is an RCC licensed by the FCC. I
Roaming. The ability to operate a celluJlir mobile telephone in a. mobi'le service
area other than the one frf?m which service is subscribe&--for example, being able
to use your cellull't phone in Minneapolis, even though you subscribed originallr
in Seattle. ' , ".
Sedomation. An, engineering, refmement of a cell's transmission anlennas,'
which improves call quality by reducing crossAalkjinterference. This is done by
':, splitting- the coverage 'Of tlte cen site into three . equal sectors by means. of
directional antennas,
Wireline Telephone Netw~rk. The conventional local telephone network which
transmits calls over wires rather than radio waves. -
'/-13
CGSA Cellular Geographical Service Area. The boundaries
of the entire system are. determined by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC). Cell sites must be located
so that radio signals from the system stay within the boundaries
of the CGSA.
The Cellular Grid. Within the CGSA, individual cell sites are
planned on a hexagonal grid pattern. This pattern allows
frequencies to be reused between cells and provides coverage for
the largest area utilizing fewer antenna sites, thus reducing the
potential for land use impacts. This pattern also allows future
"celt splitting," or ~sectorization." as the system grows.
Topography, Land Forms and Other Constraints., The
computer analysis takesinto consideration the hills and valleys
within the service area. Basically, a line-of-sight relationship is
needed between the antenna and tbe cellular telephone to insure
quality service. There are often land features'within a search area
that limit the options for site locations. Features such as bodies
of water, swamps and steep slopes may prove impossible to.build
upon, and since cell sites must be periodically maintained, they
must be accessible to technicians year-round. Therefore, sites
need to be found that are near the center of the search are~, at the
q -/ 'I-
Cell Site Selection
Cellular telephone service is expanded in a given area to
provide better service to cellular customers. This can be done in
two ways: extending the coverage to new areas or increasing the
capacity of the system within the current service area.
The decision to ~xpand the system depends on a number of
factors. First, the number of current customers within the area
and the capacity of the current system are analyzed to identify the
need to expand. Second, the quality of service within the area is
continually evaluated, both electronically at the switching
equipment', and through feedback from customers. If there are a
significant nU!llber of service failures reported, such as dropped
calls, continuous busy signals, or an "all circuits are busy"
message, the capacity of the system must be increased. Third, the.
FCC license granted to the cellular carrier requires that service
be provided to 75% of its CGSA (Cellular Geographical Service
Area) within 5 years from the date the license is granted.
Maintaining a high quality, interference-free service is essential
in order to comply with these FCC requirements and to compete
with other cellular carriers.
Once the decision has been made to expand or improve
service, th~ engineers at US WEST NewVector prepare a
preliminary design analysis. The topography and terrain features
within the service are entered into a computer, along with a series
of variables, such as antenna height, available frequencies, and
equipment characteristics. From this infonnation the engineers
detennine a search area for the optimum location and height of
the antenna to maximize service within the cell. When this
technical analysis is complete. a search area map and other
requirements are provided to the real estate and site selection
consultants.
With this infonnation, the planning consultant and real estate
acquisition consultant apply various criteria to identify and rank
potential sites. The following is a summary of these cell site
selection criteria:
optimum elevation, and accessible by existing roadways. Sites
with existing or proposed high-rise buildings nearby must also .
be avoided because buildings or other massive objects or
landfonns block the cellular radio signal in much the same way
a building blocks sunlight.
Since all of the cell sites work together (calls are automatically
handed off from one cell to another as the driver travels between
coverage areas), one antenna may not be lowered or raised
without affecting the p.rfonnance of that cell and adjacent cells.
.The combination of these factors results in the identification of
well-defmed "preferred locations" within the search area. In
urban areas, conditions can sometimes result in a search area
with a radius as small as one quarter mile or less, while in rural
. areas the radius of the search area may be many miles.
FAA and Existing Radio Conflicts. In addition to the
engineering constraints noted above, the site location must not
interfere with either Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
requirements, or existing radio transmitters operating at high
frequencies. FAA regulations protect air space zones and flight
paths surrounding airports and the locations and heights of all
antennas are reviewed to insure that they do not violate these
safety zones. Also, when certain AM and FM radio broadcast
towers are located in close proximity to cellular antennas, it can
degrade the perfonnance of the cellular signal by creating
interference. Consequently, the placement of a cell site in close
proximity to AM or FM towers must be thoroughly analyzed.
Zoning and Land Use Compatibility. Whenever feasible US
WEST NewVector strives to acquire property that is properly
zoned and adjacent to compatible land uses. Sites adjacent to
existing tall power lines, microwave facilities, antenna fanns,
water treatment facilities, and on the tops of buildings are
selected when they meet the other technical requirements of the
system. When compatibility might be a concern, a concerted
effort is made in the design process to screen facilities and reduce.
visual impacts.
Property Availability. Due to all of the engineering and
design constraints described above, it is sometimes difficult to
fmd sites that meet all of the requirements. In all cases, more than
one site is evaluated prior to selecting the most favorable
location.
L",""~'Tow<'
OuL'>id~ Sc."h AT<a
"
This illustration summarizes
some of the site selection constraints
RESOLUTION NO. PCC-94-06
RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF CHULA VISTA RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL
GRANT A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR A 60 FOOT
CELLULAR ANTENNA AND A COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT
SHELTER
WHEREAS, a duly verified application for a conditional use permit was filed with the
City of Chula Vista Planning Department on August 6, 1993 by U.S. West Cellular (OWNER);
and
WHEREAS, said application requested a Conditional use permit to allow construction
of a 60 foot high cellular antenna and a communications equipment shelter (PROJECT) in the
IL-P Zone located at 775 Anita Street near the northeast corner of APN 622-102-33 (PROJECT
SITE); and
WHEREAS, the Director of Planning set the time and place for a hearing on said Project
and notice of said hearing, together with its purpose, was given by its publication in a newspaper
of general circulation in the City and its mailing to property owners within 500 feet of the
exterior boundaries of the Project Site at least 10 days prior to the hearing; and
WHEREAS, the hearing was held at the time and place as advertised, namely October
13, 1993 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 276 Fourth Avenue, before the Planning
Commission and said hearing was thereafter closed; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION
hereby recommends City Council approval of the attached draft City Council Resolution for the
Project, subject to the findings and conditions contained therein.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT a copy of this resolution shall be transmitted to
the applicant and the City Council.
PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF CHULA VISTA,
CALIFORNIA, this day 13th day of October, 1993 by the following vote, to-wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTENTIONS:
Thomas A. Martin, Chairman
Nancy Ripley, Secretary
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iI--/5'
DRAFT RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHULA
VISTA APPROVING PCC-94-06, A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT TO
CONSTRUCT A 60 FOOT TALL CELLULAR ANTENNA AND A
COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT SHELTER IN THE IL-P ZONE
LOCATED AT 775 ANITA STREET
WHEREAS, a duly verified application for a conditional use permit was filed with the
Planning Department of the City of Chula Vista on August 6, 1993 by U.S. West Cellular
(OWNER); and
WHEREAS, said application requested approval of said conditional use permit to
construct a 60 foot high cellular antenna and a communications equipment shelter (PROJECT)
in the IL-P Zone located at 775 Anita Street near the northeast corner of APN 622-102-33
(PROJECT SITE); and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on October 13, 1993 and
voted _-to-_-to-_ recommending that the City Council approve the Project; and
WHEREAS, the City Clerk set the time and place for a hearing on said Project and
notice of said hearing, together with its purpose, was given by its publication in a newspaper
of general circulation in the city and its mailing to property owners within 500 feet of the
exterior boundaries of the Project Site at least ten days prior to the hearing; and
WHEREAS, the hearing was held at the time and place as advertised, namely 6:00 p.m.
November 2, 1993 in the Council Chambers, 276 Fourth Avenue, before the City Council and
said hearing was thereafter closed.
NOW, THEREFORE the City Council of the City of Chula Vista does hereby make the
following findings as related to PCC-94-06:
1. That the proposed use at the location is necessary or desirable to provide a
service or facility which will contribute to the general well being of the
neighborhood or the community.
The proposed cellular facility is necessary to provide and maintain a quality
cellular phone system in the Chula Vista area. The U.S. West cellular system is
used by many public service providers including sheriff, police, fire and
paramedics. In addition, the roadside emergency call boxes throughout the
County of San Diego rely on cellular telephone communication. The proposed
facility will provide needed channel capacity in the area that will help to assure
availability, not only for general users, but for emergency service providers.
2. That such use will not under the circumstances of the particular case, be
detrimental to the health, safety or general welfare of persons residing or
-$1'-1("
Resolution No.
Page #2
working in the vicinity or injurious to property or improvements in the
vicinity.
Cellular communications operate on low-power radio waves. Emissions from
cellular antennas have been shown to be below any levels that would cause
hazardous biological effects. In addition, cellular antennas emissions are so far
below all recognized safety standards that they constitute no hazard to public
health or safety.
3. That the proposed use will comply with the regulations and conditions
specified in the Municipal Code for such use.
Conditional Use Permit PCC-94-06 is conditioned to comply with the regulations
and conditions specified in the Municipal Code for such use.
4. That the granting of this conditional use permit will not adversely affect the
general plan of the City or the adopted plan of any government agency.
The granting of PCC-94-06 will not adversely affect the Chula Vista General Plan
in that said project is proposed to be built on a site already containing industrial
uses, said uses conforming the General Industrial land use designation of the
General Plan.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL hereby approves the
Project and grants conditional use permit PCC-94-06, subject to the following conditions
whereby the applicant shall:
1. Obtain all necessary permits from the Chula Vista Building Department and Fire
Department. The design of the monopole and equipment shelter shall comply
with the edition of the Uniform Building Code and the Uniform Fire Code in
effect at the time of issuance of any permit.
2. Utilize galvanized gray paint on the subject structures to the extent possible in
order to reduce the visual impacts of the proposed structures and to allow for the
most transparent view possible.
3. Construct the antenna support structure and panel antenna system to a maximum
height of 60 feet. Omni-directional antennas may be placed both on top of and
below the panel antenna system to a maximum length of 15 feet.
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f'. 17
Resolution No.
Page #3
4. Provide proof by letter that Owner has paid applicable developer fees to both
school districts prior to the issuance of any building permit.
5. This permit shall be subject to any and all new, modified, or deleted conditions
imposed after adoption of this resolution to advance a legitimate governmental
interest related to health, safety or welfare which City shall impose after advance
written notice to the permittee and after the City has given to the permittee the
right to be heard with regard thereto. However, the City, in exercising this
reserved right/condition, may not impose a substantial expense or deprive
Permittee of a substantial revenue source which the Permittee can not, in the
normal operation of the use permitted, be expected to economically recover.
6. This conditional use permit shall become void and ineffective if not utilized
within one year from the effective date thereof, in accordance with Section
19.14.260 of the Municipal Code. Failure to comply with any condition of
approval shall cause this permit to be reviewed by the City for additional
conditions or revocation.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the
applicant.
Presented by
Approved as to form by
Robert A. Leiter
Director of Planning
Bruce M. Boogaard
City Attorney
: \HOME\PLANNING\MARTIN\U5WEST\9406CC .RES
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