HomeMy WebLinkAboutWIRELESS TELECOM. FACILITY (US WEST) - PDP/FDP - 11-97E - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PROJECT NARRATIVE (3)Conclusion
US West's commitment to a long-term presence in the community is the driving force behind its system
design and site selection process. Its engineers are actively involved in testing new technologies, which
will provide significant benefits and better services to the consumer.
The proposed PCS facility is.essential for US West to construct a seamless PCS wireless network serving
the City of Fort Collins and Larimer County. Increasingly, consumers rely on advanced technology to
meet their communication needs. US West is pleased to have this opportunity to introduce its regional
PCS network to the area and stands by the fact that the construction, maintenance and operation of this
facility will in no way be detrimental to the health, safety or well-being of the community.
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Facility Specifications
Equipment Cabinets
The two proposed equipment cabinets contain all the PCS equipment necessary to run a communication
site, including radio transceivers, batteries, cooling fans and an interior monitoring system. The cabinets
are pre -fabricated, weather -resistant, self-contained units specifically manufactured to house PCS
equipment. Each cabinet is approximately 2' 6" square and 5' 0" tall.
Monopole/Antenna
The site will contain one 60' monopole designed to be self-supporting and designed to support multiple
carriers with an engineered foundation. The monopole will be equipped with nine panel -type antennae
(six initially, three future). The antennae will be arranged in a three sector configuration with two to three
antennae per sector. Each antenna is 5" w x 42" h x 4" d and mounted to the top of the monopole with
mounting brackets.
Perimeter Fencing
The facility and lease parcel will be completely surrounded by an 8' high cedar fence. An 8' high access
gate will be added to the northern side of the lease parcel.
Facility Maintenance
The facility is generally serviced once a month by a small passenger vehicle. The service visit will take up
to two hours and is typically for preventative maintenance purposes.
Access/Easements
The PCS facility will be accessed through a 20' wide ingress-egress/utility easement from Palmer Drive.
Grading/Utilities
Minimal grading will be required to construct the equipment platform and monopole. Power and telephone
utilities will be extended in the lease area from existing pedestals on the property.
Development Assurances
1. The proposed facility will emit no noxious odors, heat, noise or other pollutants.
2. Traffic to the facility will be negligible. Local. full-time trained employees of US West will be
responsible for regular inspection and maintenance of the site (approximately once a month or in
an emergency). Access to the site will be restricted.
3. Construction of the facility will exceed industry safety standards, and all construction will comply
with all applicable local and state building codes and regulations.
4. The proposed facility has been designed with consideration to local wind and weather conditions.
5. The proposed facility will comply with all applicable FCC and FAA regulations.
6. The facility will not interfere with television or radio reception.
7. Normal household electric service (single phase 220 volb'100 amp) will be brought to the facility.
8. The facility will not require sewage disposal, water or garbage service.
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US West's PCS system requires that a customer be in contact with two facilities at any given time to
reduce dropped calls. Therefore, PCS sites must be within close proximity of one another. Finally,
although coverage will extend beyond major traffic corridors, locating sites along those major corridors is
preferred due to the high volume of wireless communication use.
In summary, the selection of a specific site in a target area is determined by the following factors:
• Local topographic and geographic features
• Ability to mitigate the antenna mounting structure's visual impact
• Compatibility with existing land uses and zoning
• Ability to negotiate a mutually beneficial lease with a landlord
To accomplish this goal, the sites must be placed in precisely calculated positions. Because all the sites
in the network function together, the location of one site will affect not only the coverage area surrounding
that particular site, but also the coverage areas of all adjacent network sites. Integrating the proposed
PCS facility into the network will ensure that US West is able to meet both its FCC mandate and its
commitment to the public to provide the highest quality uninterrupted service.
US West proposes to construct a PCS facility in the Northeast corner of the parcel located at 4820 South
College Avenue. The applicant will lease a 450 square foot area.
The lease area will be developed with a 60' monopole supporting up to nine panel antennas (six initially,
three future). Two equipment cabinets will be placed on a 9' 6" x 11' 6" concrete pad located beneath the
monopole. A proposed 8' cedar fence will secure the entire PCS facility and lease area.
Coverage Obiective
US West's objective is to provide seamless coverage to the City of Fort Collins and Larimer County and
existing thoroughfares such as Harmony Road and College Avenue. The development of this network is
expected to fulfill consumer demand for several years.
Site Analvsis
Zoning and Land Use
The US West site is located within a Commercial District. Currently the parcel contains an office building
and a parking lot. The PCS facility is an appropriate use for this property because it is a permitted use in
a Commercial District.
Impact on Surrounding Residents
The selection of this site for a PCS facility was made with the goal of minimizing the impact to the citizens
of Fort Collins. To minimize impact, US West has proposed to locate the facility in a Commercial District
where it is permitted by right.
The monopole will look much like a light standard and will be painted light brown. In addition, the
monopole will be placed behind an existing structure and will be fenced for increased safety.
Visual impact of the proposed monopole will be minimized by existing trees on the North and East sides of
the property. US West has proposed to landscape the West, South and East sides of the facility with
seven 7' Australian Pines spaced evenly apart.
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INTRODUCTION
Personal Communication Services
PCS (Personal Communication Services) is the name given to the band of radio spectrum located
between 1850 and 1990 MegaHertz (MHz).' PCS enables the next generation of wireless
telecommunications; including familiar technologies such as mobile phones, paging, and wireless fax as
well as new innovations such as wireless PBX (Private Branch Exchange), wireless Local Area Network
(LAN), and mobile data.
US West's PCS network is based on digital technology as opposed to the analog technology that has
historically been used for wireless communications. The advantages of digital technology are higher voice
quality, increased privacy, and a significant increase in call capacity.
Unlike major broadcasting systems, which operate at high power to reach as many people as possible,
PCS facilities operate at a low power (10 to 100 watts), limiting the signal to the small areas they are
intended to cover.2 With PCS, repeated use of the same channels increases the number of telephone
calls handled by the system, making PCS available for everyone.
The PCS system uses a lightweight, multi -function, portable telephone. This telephone will offer a number
of features such as call screening, call waiting, voice mail, and text paging. US West's goal is to integrate
mobile services with fixed communication networks by combining local, long distance, and wireless
services.
US West's Site Selection Process
To ensure development of a community -compatible PCS network, US West engaged in an innovative
"pre -design" process. Traditionally, development of communication networks has been driven strictly by
Radio Frequency (RF) engineering requirements. Engineers determined where the network required sites
regardless of zoning, community, and strategic planning needs.
US West retained the services of Wireless Solutions. for the acquisition and planning of PCS sites in the
Northern Colorado area. Wireless Solutions' innovative, community -friendly approach utilizes the existing
zoning and land uses to form the basis for the design of the network. The first step was to identify
favorable zoning districts which allow or encourage PCS facilities. Secondly, site acquisition specialists
inventoried existing structures in each jurisdiction that were community -friendly and realistic from a leasing
standpoint.
RF engineers were able to use the inventory of existing structures to fit the network to the communities. If
no existing structure was available or appropriate, a monopole or tower was proposed. Through this
process US West will build a network that provides maximum coverage while minimizing the impact on the
community.
The need for a site is governed by capacity and coverage requirements for the specific area to be served.
Since PCS facilities operate at a lower power and a higher frequency than cellular facilities, they rely more
on line -of -sight coverage (the ability to overlap signals with the next site in the network).
' Standard cellular facilities operate within 800 and 900 MHz.
2 Standard cellular facilities generally operate at over 100 watts.
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