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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSDP201200067 Legacy Document 2013-02-21 (4)VERIZON WIRELESS - "BRITTS MOUNTAIN" (HOUCHENS PROPERTY) TIER II PERSONAL WIRELESS SERVICE FACILITY Proiect Description/ Request: Cellco Partnership, operating as Verizon Wireless, respectfully requests approval to allow the installation of a Tier II Personal Wireless Service Facility (PWSF), with a 100 -foot tall monopole on a parcel with an address of 1019 Britts Mountain Hollow, and identified as Tax Map 75 - Parcel 24 (the "Property "). This proposal will also include the installation of a 240 square foot, 11 -foot high base station equipment shelter, and an emergency back -up power generator. The proposed PWSF will be contained within a in a 10,000 square foot lease area on the Property and this site is located at an elevation of approximately 608 feet Above Mean Sea Level (AMSL). The monopole, antennas, and base station equipment will all be painted Sherwin Williams Java Brown - #6090, which is a matte enamel color that has been previously approved as an appropriate color for other "treetop" facility sites throughout Albemarle County. Two (2) arrays of three (3) flush - mounted antennas will be installed on the monopole with the highest set matching its top height and the lower antenna array below. All six antennas are needed to deploy the three different technologies for which Verizon Wireless is licensed in Albemarle County. Network Obiectives: Verizon Wireless is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide state -of- the -art wireless communications services within Albemarle County. This includes the Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G service (700 MHz frequency band), which was recently launched in Albemarle County, the City of Charlottesville and other surrounding counties in July 2012. When ideal coverage is available, the 4G services can provide data upload, download and transmission speeds up to ten times faster than current technologies that are currently available through personal wireless networks. It is important to note that, although PCS (1900 MHz frequency band) can be combined with either Cellular (850 MHz frequency band) or LTE service in one set of flush - mounted antennas, LTE utilizes a frequency band which is too close to the Cellular band's frequency in the federally government's licensed radio spectrum. This makes it impossible to combine the LTE and Cellular signal transmissions within a single set of flush - mounted antennas without interference between the signals. Therefore, the LTE and Cellular antennas must be physically separated on the monopole, requiring either additional height to achieve the necessary vertical separation or a much wider horizontal distance between the required antennas than the County's standard for flush - mounting allows. In this case, Verizon Wireless is proposing that the antennas be split between two vertically spaced arrays in order to meet the County's preference for flush- mounting. It is Verizon Wireless' goal to provide seamless in- building, in -car and on- street coverage and the full range of voice and data services to existing and future customers. With a top height of 99 feet, the proposed monopole at this facility will be approximately 20 feet above the reference tree, which will set the second level of antennas partially below the top of that tree. Character of the Area: The Property, identified as Tax Map 75 - Parcel 24A contains 4.51 acres in the Samuel Miller Magisterial District. The parcel is zoned Rural Areas (RA) in the Entrance Corridor (EC), and each of the surrounding properties share the same rural zoning designation. The proposed PWSF will not substantially impact the rural character of the surrounding area due to the fact that this site is located at Verizon Wireless PWSF Page 1 Britts Mountain (Houchens Property) the edge of a heavily wooded area that will provide camouflaging and the foot of a mountain that will provide a backdrop for the dark brown monopole. Furthermore, the ground equipment shelter will not be visible from any of the adjacent properties beyond the railway to the north of this site. The nearest existing PWSF is located approximately 1,135 feet southwest of the site of the proposed facility on the parcel identified as Tax Map 75 - Parcel Number 19. Access for construction of the proposed PWSF will be provided from the southern side of Monacan Trail Road (US Route 29) by way of Britts Mountain Hollow, an existing gravel road that runs west. After crossing the Norfolk Southern railroad, access will then split off to the south using an existing driveway that curves uphill for approximately 650 feet, and will then runs east along the tree line where the Verizon Wireless facility will be constructed. Compliance with Tier II Criteria as set forth in Section 5.1.40. Verizon Wireless will address any relevant requirements and modification requests in the sections provided below: The County's specific design criteria for Tier II "Treetop" Facilities, set forth in Section 5.1.40(d), are addressed as follows: 5.1.40(d)(1) - The facility shall comply with subsection 5.1.40(b) and subsections 5.1.40(c)(2) through (9). Subsection 5.1.40(b) (1 -5): The proposed PWSF will be in compliance with the Rural Areas setback regulations and all other area and bulk regulations and minimum yard requirements of the district are being met with this request. Verizon Wireless has also selected a location for the proposed monopole that meets the minimum required setback distance for towers, which is equal to 100% of the structure's height from all parcel lines shared with adjoining lots. Although there are no required front yard setbacks from public road rights -of -way or railways, the proposed facility will greatly exceed the 1:1 (height to distance) setbacks from US Route 29 and the Norfolk Southern Railway as well. The attached site drawings and antenna/equipment specifications demonstrate that the PWSF regulations and the relevant site plan requirements set forth in Section 32 of the zoning ordinance will also be met with this application. Subsection 5.1.40(c)(2): The proposed monopole does not require the installation of guy wires, nor will it be fitted with any whip antennas without any further County approvals and proposed grounding rod will comply with the County's size requirements. The facility will only have one low- powered outdoor light fixture attached the side of the shelter and because the shelter has interior lighting, it will only be turned on for safety and access purposes when service must be performed at night. This will help to ensure that technical operations staff can safely move about the facility during the times when maintenance is necessary. Please note that these times are most often during events of extremely bad weather or after tree limbs, ice or other materials have fallen onto equipment. Subsection 5.1.40(c)(3): As detailed previously, the proposed antenna configuration must be mounted vertically in two separate arrays that are situated one above the other. The first array will contain three panel antennas, identified as Amphenol Antel Model# BXD- 63406380CF (47.4" x 16.8" x 3.5" approximately 796 square inces), that will provide for combining Cellular and PCS service signals at this site. The second array will hold a new set of panel antennas for the LTE service (identified as Amphenol Antel Model# BXA- 70063/8CF (94.6" x 11.2" x 4.5" - approximately 1,060 square inches). All of these antennas will be installed using "pipe- mounts" that will allow a necessary amount of down - tilting while meeting the County's requirements for flush - mounts (twelve inches maximum between the Verizon Wireless PWSF Page 2 Britts Mountain (Houchens Property) i face of the monopole and the face of the antenna). All antennas will be painted Java Brown to match the color of the monopole. Subsection 5.1.40(c)(4 and 5): Prior to Verizon Wireless will submit a tree conservation plan that has been completed by Dave Rosene, a Certified Arborist with VanYahres Tree Company. As always, this plan will provide any necessary requirements and /or recommendations for care methods construction and the construction drawings will also provide the final location of all tree protection fencing and other improvements that are necessary during and after construction. Subsection 5.1.40(c)(6): Should the use of the facility be discontinued in the future then Verizon Wireless and/or its assignee(s) shall be required to remove the facility within 90 days. Subsection 5.1.40(c)(7): Should additional wireless carriers find use in co- locating on the proposed monopole, then Verizon Wireless will submit an annual reports updating the user status and equipment inventory of the facility in the required time period. Subsection 5.1.40(c)(8): No new slopes greater than 2:1 will be created as a result of installing the proposed facility. A retaining wall will be used to stabilize the resulting grades along the back side of the shelter and beyond the toe of the slopes that are to be disturbed for construction of this site. Subsection 5.1.40(c)(9): Verizon Wireless is not currently proposing the installation of fencing to surround this existing facility. However, should a future need arise we reserve the right to install fencing that is found to be in compliance with this section of the ordinance upon the approval of the Zoning Administrator or any other authorized County staff person. Section 5.1.40(d)(2): The installation of Verizon Wireless' proposed facility will only require the removal of three (3) trees that are significant in size. Therefore, the area around the site will remain wooded, providing screening and backdrop for the monopole, which will be painted brown in order to blend in well with the surrounding treetops. Additionally, the densely vegetated between the adjacent parcel lines and roads near this site will provide a large buffer for the base station equipment. Section 5.1.40(d)(3): Although the proposed facility will be located within the Entrance Corridor Overlay for US Route 29, the proposed facility will not have high visibility from the road. This is because trees in the foreground along the road block views of the site, while trees on the side of the Britts Mountain to the east of the site will provide an large amount of backdrop for the brown monopole. Section 5.1.40(d)(4): There are no other existing facilities that are located within 200 feet of this facility on the subject parcel or on any adjacent parcels either. Section 5.1.40(d)(5): As indicated in the attached construction drawings, Verizon Wireless' proposed monopole will be designed and constructed so that it is 30 inches at its base and tapers to 18 inches at its top. Section 5.1.40(d)(6): At 100 feet tall (and 707 feet Above Mean Sea Level - AMSL), the proposed monopole will be approximately 10 feet above the top elevation of the reference tree, which is identified as a 20" oak that is 77 feet tall (697 feet AMSL). That reference tree is located in an area where its limbs grow out and over into the area where the monopole will be installed. Section 5.1.40(d)(7): The monopole and all antennas will be painted Sherwin Williams Java Brown 46090. This is a color that has been applied to previously approved PWSF monopoles. All of the base station equipment that is installed to support this facility will be painted this same color as well. Verizon Wireless PWSF Page 3 Britts Mountain (Houchens Property) Section 5.1.40(d)(8): Verizon Wireless is proposing the construction of a monopole tower that will be designed to contain all of the coaxial cables that will run from the ground equipment to both sets of antennas. However, if for some reason it is determined in the future that additional cables cannot fit into this pole (which must also be designed to taper from 30" at its base to 18" at the top), then Verizon Wireless will request approval to allow any cables that might not fit inside to be run up the back of the pole (interior to the property), as just as they are allowed for wooden monopoles. Section 5.1.40(d)(9 -13): Verizon Wireless has reviewed and understands all of the remaining criteria for Tier II and Treetop Personal Wireless Service Facilities and will provide any additional information or assistance to ensure that these standards are met. Conclusion: Verizon Wireless is confident that the approval of this proposed Personal Wireless Service Facility site will comply with the siting and design criteria for Tier II PWSFs and thus any potential visual impacts will be mitigated. Approval of this application will allow the expansion and improvement of Verizon Wireless' coverage to residents and travelers between the existing sites in this area to the north and south along US Route 29 south of Charlottesville. The proposed facility will meet the County's preferences for using flush - mounted antennas that will be installed in two vertical arrays in order to provide full range of the company's current network, including state of the art 4G LTE service, to the targeted coverage area. Sinc ply Stephen Waller, AICP GDNsites Site Development Consultants to Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless PWSF Page 4 Britts Mountain (Houchens Property)