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HomeMy WebLinkAboutT-MOBILE (CEDARWOOD PLAZA) WTF - PDP - 38-06A - REPORTS - CORRESPONDENCE-NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGNEIGHBORHOOD INFORMATION MEETING PROJECT 16,;ja PY77C DATE R'/z,�/„� MEN 26. Comment: (Wendy Clark): I don't want any trees. They would require a lot of maintenance and they drop leaves. Put the trees by the tower. Just then, her cell phone rang and she announced that it uxas a T-Mobile phone. Response: We're trying to come up with a reasonable solution here... 27. Comment: I am open to a tree to block the view, though I know that trees can be a lot of maintenance. We just removed an apple tree because it was a lot of work. 28. Question: Do you have information about this site on paper about the decibels? Answer: No. I can provide information for a similar site which has even more fans on it and/or this site's actual levels once it is on air. The existing report has information at the tower, 25 feet from the tower, and 50 feet from the tower. I am also willing to drive you to a site to hear it if you like. The nearby Cingular site is quite similar. You could go by there and check it out. 29. Comment: We don't have a lot of traffic on Montview, so background noises such as the fans might be problematic. Response: (Anne Aspen): there are trash compactors and semi trailers in the service alley. These are likely louder than the fans will be. Reply: We find the existing noise to be acceptable. Meeting concluded at about 8:20pm _ W se ._lwT.. - _ - t J(M pWk of INZO 44,J C e),Owva( bi Af ific bftec veoetwhi-xi an9l vJf o*w OA*Wj JU sak j�- d4Xon'W rNaGt 54#,rC c. Tre& close- tv paF w.1 bmi9&' viuv. Arv* is A. fim Answer: We have a tower in Eagle County that looks like a tree and birds perch on it. If they can't tell... We must meet federal regulations. The city cannot deny proposals because of health issues. 24. Question: What about asbestos and lead paint? The government said these were safe too. They are very slow acting. Down the road if they are proved harmful, it's too late. Radiation is dangerous. Everyone is exposed to radiation from cell phone towers. Answer: There are numerous reports on safety and health issues. We have sites on hospitals. (Anne Aspen): As we've already talked about, the Hearing Officer cannot deny this project based on health issues. While the discussion about radiation and health issues has merit, it is outside of the realm of what we can act on in this meeting or at the hearing. We need to move on from this topic. What other issues haven't been addressed yet? 25. Question: What about the tree question from before? Can you put up trees as a visual barrier or buffer? Answer: We considered buffering the base of the equipment with vegetation originally but another planner at the city said it wouldn't make sense since the area around there is already fenced in. No one will see it. (Anne Aspen): In order to buffer the view which has been stated as the number one issue though, we could require trees to be planted between the tower and the residents. Reply: Trees wouldn't reach 50 feet for many years. Response: (Anne Aspen) Depending on where they are planted, they wouldn't need to be even close to 50 feet tall to completely block the view. Anne sketched a site section to illustrate, reproduced on next page: 7 Plaza property has been zoned for commercial uses since at least 1965. 19. Question: What about security lights? Answer: There will be security lights that meet City standards. These should help to address vandalism issues that were brought up at the last meeting. Comment: The vandalism problem is to the north at the Housing Authority property. 20. Question: What about equipment noise? I'm concerned my renter may move out because of noise at night. Answer: We've done noise studies for previous projects. The equipment is quiet except for the fans that run to keep it cool, like in your computer. The fan is similar in the noise it produces to the one in your refrigerator. The hotter the day, the more the fans run —it's the same amount of noise, just more frequent. The studies have always shown the fan noise to be well within local and state parameters. We will comply with Fort Collins' noise regulations too. 21. Question: Is this the lowest impact location available? Is there anywhere possible that is not near residences? Out near the stadium perhaps? Answer: We have one proposed on W. Vine at Crisman Airfield that the County is currently reviewing. The way cell towers work is similar to a lawn sprinkler system. We want to cover a certain area without overlapping and duplicating coverage. This area is where we need coverage. 22. Question: Did you consider the KFC area to the north of Elizabeth? Answer: Yes, but that would have been too far north —we would have had overlapping coverage to the north. It is also a very small commercial site that needs all of its parking. 23. Question: Is radiation responsible for the issues with reduced bee counts that we are seeing? "If in doubt, throw it out!" Money is all that matters in these deals. 6 made from cell phones. 14. Comment: I know this isn't the right forum for this sort of concern, but I have to wonder what the larger environmental cost of all this technology is. 15. Question: I don't see these towers going up in wealthy residential areas. Why aren't there cell towers in Eagle Ranch? Answer: There are. Cited some regional examples. Comment: Where is that? I'm talking Fort Collins. 16. Comment: Cell phone towers should all be located way out in the hills, not in populated areas. 17. Question: Is it possible to locate the tower at the gas station on the corner? Answer: All cell companies avoid properties with environmental concerns. Gas stations typically have gasoline -contaminated soil. We are required to perform a (National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance report, Environmental Phase I and sometimes even a Phase II to determine if there is any environmental concern before we build. If we were to disturb contaminated soil, they would come after us, so we're careful to make sure that the soil under our projects is not contaminated. So we avoid gas stations. 18. Question: It's tricky in situations between commercial and residential. Whose rights prevail and whose interpretation is used when a residence has been there prior to a cell phone tower? Also, can trees be planted to screen the view? Answer: The ground equipment will be screened from residents' view by two cedar fences. (Anne Aspen): Both commercial and residential property owners have property rights. Each can do with their property what is allowed by the zoning and regulations in place subject to the City's development review process. Later after the meeting: research shows that the Cedarwood 5 Answer: (Anne Aspen): Don't know who would be responsible. This is outside the scope of this meeting. Good question to ask the FCC. They have a website. 11. Question: The backside of King Sooper's is adjacent to residential properties. The front side is commercial. Why not put it on the front side? Answer: We talked with the property owner (not King Sooper's) about this. We had to consider the existing King Sooper's parking and the possibility of a King Sooper's expansion. The cell tower equipment takes up about 12 feet by 20 feet. King Sooper's couldn't afford to lose the space for parking or the expansion. We had initially looked at collocating on the Cingular site at the south end of the shopping center behind Farmer's Table, then the front of King Sooper's and finally on the backside, where there is unused space and where it is already more industrial with semis on the service aisle and trash compactors. 12. Question: There must be a good reason why all these other folks turned this proposal down. They must not want the visual impacts or radiation either. Why do they get to say no but we don't? Answer: (Anne Aspen): Many churches and most businesses welcome cell phone towers because the rent they pay is very good. Aside from the reasons given already by the Bethel Church and King Sooper's, I cannot speculate on why they turned down the offer. Those were private negotiations between the property owners and this business. This is just the second formal request the City has received and reviewed, the first being the previous proposal which was denied. 13. Question: Is it possible that as technology changes to smaller or less obtrusive equipment, these towers can be taken down? Answer: Yes, in Fort Collins, if a structure is abandoned for more than a certain amount of time, it must be taken down. I don't foresee that kind of technological change though —I suspect that the next leap will be to satellites. We are meeting customer demand with these cell towers. A recent study showed that 65% or more of all emergency calls were 4 that are zoned for commercial uses. In the northwest part of town, these zone districts are small and somewhat far between. This shopping center is zoned NC —Neighborhood Commercial. 5. Question: Are there other health concerns? Will it affect pacemakers? Answer: We worked with the Adams County School District on locating a cell tower at one of their schools. They required a 3rd party test to show that there would be no adverse effects from the tower. The school area was mapped and the report showed that a microwave oven in the kitchen had much higher radiation readings by far than the cell phone tower. Cell phone towers operate on frequencies which are only for cell phone communications and which are strictly regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and do not interfere with the frequencies for pacemakers or televisions etc. We have facilities on retirement homes, hospitals, and universities. 6. Question: But is there a danger? Answer: The Telecommunications Act of 1996 also requires us to operate at or under certain radiation levels. If we don't, we can lose our license to transmit. 7. Comment: But that is the fox guarding the henhouse. Government is in bed with corporations! 8. Comment: (Wendy Clark): My primary issue is visual. I am upset that I must go through this process again to get this project shot down. 9. Question: Why not put the tower at Bethel Baptist Church? Answer: We tried. We had a contract with the church but they would have lost some parking and their parking is restricted. We also talked with Shepherd of the Hills Church. 10. Question: What if health concerns with these towers becomes an issue down the road? Who will be responsible? Especially if the cell phone companies go out of business. 3 (Anne Aspen): This applicant submitted a proposal that was denied at an administrative hearing. This applicant learned what was unacceptable about that proposal ari_dhas made a new proposal that he believes corrects the issue --Just hke :.-- anyone present at the meeting, this property bwner•has the• right correct issues and to apply again. This neighborhood meeting was not required but is being held to give the neighborhood an opportunity to respond to this_amended proposal. The information shared here tonight will be reflected in the notes from the meeting and will be reviewed by the Administrative Hearing Officer at the second administrative hearing. 2. Comment: There is no buffer between the residences and the proposed equipment. This will shoot my property values down. Response: On a recent project in Delta County, I checked assessor records before and a couple years after a similar wireless facility was constructed. The property values had increased. 3. Comment: I am concerned about the visibility of the tower. I don't see a big difference from the last proposal. (Wendy Clark): It looks like you just moved it a few feet. It may be better for some residents but it is worse for me. Response: The tower was moved approximately 60 feet to the southeast, up against the King Soopers building, where mature trees will screen the view from the residences. 4. Question: Cell phone towers emit radiation. What about how it will affect soft tissue in our bodies? Answer: (Anne Aspen): There is certainly a lot of debate about radiation from cell phone towers out there on the web etc. and your concerns may be valid, but there is a federal act called the 1996 Telecommunications Act which prohibits municipalities from denying these types of projects because we don't want them or based on health concerns. If we deny a project for one of these reasons, we open ourselves to legal liability. Municipalities do have the ability to dictate which zone districts in a city will allow cell phone towers. In Fort Collins, we only allow cell phone towers in our zone districts 2 NEIGHBORHOOD INFORMATION MEETING PROJECT: King Soopers (Cedarwood Plaza) Wireless Telecommunication Facility Project Development Plan (PDP) # 38-06A DATE: August 20, 2007 APPLICANT: Chris Stryker, Stryker Site Services, representing T-Mobile CITY PLANNER: Anne Aspen This is a second request to install a wireless monopole on the west side of the Cedarwood Plaza in the service drive aisle, behind the King Sooper's grocery store. The first request was denied by the City of Fort Collins Hearing Officer for failure to meet compatibility standards of the Land Use Code. The applicant has revised their proposal and moved the proposed wireless monopole closer to the King Sooper's building and further to the south, where it is anticipated that mature trees will screen it better for adjacent neighbors. This neighborhood meeting is not required by Code, but the applicant agreed to participate since there was substantial controversy at the first hearing. The meeting started just after 6:30pm. After a general introduction by Anne Aspen and an overview of the City's development review process, Chris Stryker walked the audience through the proposal. Anne opened up the meeting to a question and answer session. The following questions and comments are those posed by audience members. Answers were provided by the applicant unless otherwise noted. Comments made multiple times by at least one attendee are in bold and underlined. QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, COMMENTS, 1. Comment (by Wendy Clark): I know you are proposing this project to increase the coverage for your customers but I don't appreciate that the tower is so close to our residences. I'm not one of your customers! Question: How many meetings will the City have before this protect is shot down? 1