COLUMBUS CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT
COUNCIL REFEFFAL
RESPONSE
A standard part of wireless telecommunications facilities ordinances is the
specification of setbacks for towers. In the case of these facilities, setbacks
are important because they are often used as proxies for a tower's ?fall zone,?
typically defined as the area within a prescribed radius around the base of a
wireless telecommunications tower within which there is a potential hazard from
falling debris, such as ice, collapsing material or the collapse of the tower
itself. In many cases, as you suggest, communities adopt special provisions
regarding setbacks of cell towers from residential properties in particular to
ensure that in the case of a tower collapse, the residential structure is out
of harm?s way.
Here below are some regional distance requirements:
Community
Setback
Athens-Clarke County, GA
Total height of the tower plus 400' from single and two-family residential
district boundaries
Augusta, GA
Height of the tower from off-site residential structures; ? height of the tower
from property lines bordering single-family residentially zoned lots
Roswell, GA
Height of the tower from the nearest residential lot line
Savannah, GA
Height of the tower to dwellings and property lines; less if tower has
breakpoint design technology
Cary, NC
Height of the tower from property line of residentially zoned property
Charleston, SC
Height of the tower from residential zoned property, but for flush-mount and
stealth monopoles, ? tower height
Columbia, SC
Setbacks from residential districts range from 150' to 500' depending on the
type of the tower
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Greater of 200' or 200% of tower height from residentially used or zoned
property
Hialeah, FL
200% of tower height from nearest residential district line
Huntsville, AL
Greater of 200' or tower height to residential structure
Mobile, AL
Greater of 200' or 150% of tower height to closest point of residentially zoned
land
Tallahassee, FL
200' from nearest residential lot line and 250' from nearest lot line of
single-family or duplex dwelling
Athens-Clarke County and Augusta-Richmond County are the only consolidated
governments in the study.
Former Mayor Poydashef is inquiring about reducing the distance from 300 feet
from a residential structure to the distance requirement in the 1998 zoning
ordinance: height of tower length from nearest residential structure. As you
will see above, the ranges run from the extreme (height of tower plus 400' in
Athens) to minimal (less than height of tower if it has breakpoint design
technology aka monopole in Savannah).
The Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA) represents the
interests of providers and tower companies. Their language suggestion is as
follows:
(B) Setbacks
(1) Property Lines. Unless otherwise stated herein, Support Structures shall be
set back from all property lines a distance equal to their height measured from
the base of the structure to its highest point.
(2) Residential Dwellings. Unless otherwise stated herein, Monopoles, Towers
and other Support Structures shall be set back from all off-site residential
dwellings a distance equal to the height of the structure. There shall be no
setback requirement from dwellings located on the same parcel as the proposed
structure. Existing or Replacement structures shall not be subject to a setback
requirement.
Regarding collapses, most tower collapses have been lattice/guyed towers.
Considerable research has been done on tower collapses and monopoles have shown
to be the most resilient type.
The Planning Department recommends that any reduction in distance from a
residential structure be considered for monopole cell towers only.
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