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Home My WebLink AboutARB201500022 Staff Report 2015-03-30ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD STAFF REPORT Project #/Name ARB- 2015 -22: nTelos CV658 Albemarle County Regional Jail Review Type Minor Amendment Parcel Identification 077000000011A0 Location 180 Peregory Lane, on the west side of Avon Street Extended, just south of I64 Zoned Residential (Rl)/Entrance Corridor (EC) Owner /Applicant Albemarle - Charlottesville Regional Jail Authority /Jessie Wilmer Magisterial District Scottsville Proposal To construct a telecommunications facility consisting of one of the following options: 1) antennas concealed in a stealth enclosure designed to resemble an elevator shaft penthouse on the roof, 2) nine antennas attached to the building with a remote radio head (RRH) amplifier attached to the wall below each antenna, or 3) nine antennas attached to the building with a remote radio head RRH amplifier above each antenna. Context The property is located between the I64 and Avon Street Extended Entrance Corridors. The jail is visible from both corridors. ARB Meeting Date April 6, 2015 Staff Contact Margaret Maliszewski HISTORY The ARB reviewed and approved the design for the jail building and the existing antennas that are attached to the building. In the current round of review, the original nTelos proposal was for a 15' tall stealth penthouse. Staff noted that the photosimulations for the 15' structure suggested that the penthouse would appear out of proportion and uncoordinated with the building, and there was no other penthouse for the new structure to relate to. Staff and the applicant met to discuss the proposal and the applicant returned with a smaller stealth penthouse and options for mounting the antennas to the building. ' all1BE" 811 D1W.1Iski Option 1: Construct a 12' x 12' x 12' stealth penthouse on the roof of the north/northwest corner of the building. The penthouse would enclose 9 antennas and 9 remote radio head amplifiers. The penthouse would be constructed of a material whose texture and color would match that of the existing building. It would be a simple, boxy structure with no added detailing. Cables would extend from the penthouse to the proposed ground equipment. Option 2: Attach nine antennas to the upper walls of the building, with a remote radio head amplifier attached to the wall below each antenna. Cables would extend from the antennas to the proposed ground equipment. Antennas and cable trays would be painted to match the color of the building. Option 3: Attach nine antennas to the upper walls of the building, with remote radio head amplifiers grouped and mounted to the roof, rising above the parapet walls. Cables would extend from the antennas to the proposed ground equipment. Antennas and cable trays would be painted to match the color of the building. ANALYSIS REGARDING THE GROUND EQUIPMENT A Certificate of Appropriateness from the ARB is required for the base equipment portion of a proposed telecommunications facility in the Entrance Corridors. The ARB may impose conditions on the Certificate of Appropriateness, based on the EC Guidelines, and consistent with Section 5.1.40 of the Zoning Ordinance. Ref Guideline Option #1 Issues Option #2 Issues Option #3 Issues Recommendations Accessory structures and equipment The following should be screened to eliminate 17 visibility from the Entrance Corridor street: The ground equipment is not expected to be visible from either Entrance Corridor due to its location in a recessed None. area that is nearly surrounded by existing walls of the building. e) Mechanical equipment ANALYSIS REGARDING VISIBILITY OF THE FACILITY The ARB may act in an advisory capacity to the Agent as to whether the facility is being sited to minimize its visibility. Ref Guideline I Option #1 Issues Option #2 Issues Option #3 Issues Recommendations Development pattern Ref Guideline Option #1 Issues Option #2 Issues I Option #3 Issues Recommendations 33 The relationship of The penthouse would be very visible from the The proposed antennas are expected to be no more visible than the Of all the options presented, buildings and other ECs. Based on the photosimulations, even existing antennas on the building. Option #2 is expected to minimize structures to the Entrance though it is simple in form and detail, the visibility the most. Option 2 Corridor street and to other penthouse appears generally out of proportion Antennas are proposed in groups of three. Each of the three antennas has would sufficiently minimize development within the (even at the smaller size) and uncoordinated a different size. The tallest antenna is 6' -5.6" tall. The widest antenna is visibility such that no significant corridor should be as with the existing jail building, particularly when 1'- 1.67" wide. Existing antennas are 6' -4 3/8" tall x 10.5" wide. visual impact on the Entrance follows: viewed from the Avon Street bridge and I64. It Corridor is anticipated. f. The placement of looks out of place and doesn't relate to any of Added to the existing 6 antennas on the building, the current proposal structures on the site should the primary elements of the building. The would result in a total of 15 antennas attached to the walls of the building. The remote radio head amplifiers would The remote radio head respect existing views and incongruity is less dramatic from the segment vistas on and around the of Avon Street near the entrance to the site, be mounted below the antennas. They amplifiers would be mounted site. where other parts of the building stand in the would be colored to match the building, on the roof of the building. foreground. so visibility would be minimized. Although the remote radio heads would rise above the parapet wall only minimally, they would be more noticeable than in Option 2. The applicant notes that mounting on top of the roof allows for more efficient maintenance. Also note that other existing equipment rises above the building's parapets. The penthouse is proposed to be located The proposed antenna location that is closest to the 164 travelway is approximately 225' from the 164 travelway. It approximately 175' away. The proposed antenna location that is closest to is approximately 500' from the entrance to the the Avon Street EC is approximately 350' (entrance to site from Avon site on Avon St. and 700' or more from the St.) and 550' (Avon Street bridge) away. Avon Street bridge. In each of the proposed options, cables would extend from the antennas to the ground equipment. The cables would cross a portion of the north elevation of the building. It is anticipated that wooded area in the right -of -way would mostly screen the cables from view. The cables and cable trays are proposed to be painted to match the building, so any cables that might be visible from the ECs wouldn't be particularly noticeable. Painted to match the building, the cables and cable trays are not expected to have a negative visual impact on the ECs. I.IUUT lu M :ZYI] a R occeld lU 1 040 17.111 [1]►`f.`1 Re . ag rding the Certificate of Appropriateness for the ground equipment and base station: Because the proposed facility is consistent with all applicable guidelines, staff recommends approval of the Certificate of Appropriateness, as proposed, for the ground equipment and base station. Regarding visibility of the monopole: Staff recommends that the ARB forward the following recommendation to the Agent: The ARB finds that Option #2 (with the antennas and remote radio head amplifiers attached to the walls of the building) minimizes the visibility of the facility from the Entrance Corridor. TABLE A This report is based on the following submittal items: Sheet # Drawing Name Revision Date Sheet # Drawing Name Revision Date T1 Title Sheet 1/14/15 D1 Grounding Plan (Antennas) 1114115 L1 Property Exhibit 1/14/15 D2 Power & Telephone Single Line Diagram 1/14/15 C1 Existing Conditions 1/14/15 D3 Miscellaneous Details 1/14/15 C2 Proposed Site Plan 1/14/15 D4 Miscellaneous Details 1/14/15 C3 Proposed Site Plan (Equipment Area) 1/14/15 D5 PPC Cabinet Details 1/14/15 C4 Hybriflex Cable Plan 1/14/15 D6 General Notes 1/14/15 C5 North Elevation View 1/14/15 Photosimulations for Options 1, 2 and 3(location map, photos 1 -4, site plan, 2 photos of ground equipment area) 1/14/15 E1 Utility Service Plan 1/14/15 Stealth material sample G1 Grounding Plan (Equipment Area) 1/14/15 MA[a101618OFM� 76M1 -2B 76M7 -4A 77-11E AERIAL VIEWS 7 ,Y • ,y A i •ir+ .�;! f' .� _ „ _•,yx., •.*.. 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