HomeMy WebLinkAboutVERIZON WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATION FACILITY, 2950 E. HARMONY RD. - PDP/FDP - FDP140025 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PLANNING OBJECTIVESPLANNING OBJECTIVES
VERIZON WIRELESS
FTC PELOTON
DEVELOPMENT REVIEW FOR
WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SITE
PROJECT INFORMATION
Applicant Information: Verizon Wireless (VAW) LLC, d/b/a/ Verizon Wireless, 3131 South
Vaughn Way, Aurora, CO 80014
Representative: Irene Cooke, Leasing and Zoning Consultant, Closser Consulting LLC, P O
Box 423, Tabernash, CO 80478; (970) 531-0831
Land Owner Information: Ryan Kopke, Senior Property Manager, Westfield-Harmony LLLP,
12202 Airport Way, Suite 155, Broomfield, CO 80021; (303) 464-8071
Engineering Firm Preparing Site Plan: Charles Steckly Architecture, Inc.; 5935 South Zang
Street, Suite 280, Littleton, CO 80127; (303) 932-9974
Address of Project: 2950 E. Harmony Road
PLANNING OBJECTIVES
Verizon Wireless proposes to develop a new telecommunications site, “Verizon Wireless FTC
Peloton,” at 2950 E. Harmony Road on the roof of a large office building on the northwest
corner of the intersection at Ziegler Road and Harmony Road. The purpose of this site is to
provide improved 4G-LTE voice and data capacity for Verizon Wireless customers in the
commercial and residential developments surrounding this intersection. The proposed site will
be part of continuous telecommunications network serving the greater Fort Collins area. Verizon
Wireless has recently developed several sites within the City of Fort Collins and approval of this
application will allow Verizon Wireless to meet its federally mandated obligations under the
license granted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pursuant to the
Telecommunications Act of 1996. Although there is a Verizon Wireless site at the Poudre
Valley Health District Campus at 2121 E. Harmony Road, the explosive growth of data usage
from “smartphones” and similar devices has made it necessary to increase the data capacity with
an additional facility. The proposed facility will address the need for additional capacity to serve
the Intel and Avago campuses in addition to the commercial developments in the vicinity of the
Harmony-Ziegler intersection.
The proposed site will include a total of six (6) panel antennas required to provide the desired
service. These antennas will be screened with opaque radio-frequency-transparent fiberglass
material; the color and texture of the antenna screening will match the existing screen walls to
which they are mounted on the roof. Electronic equipment associated with the antennas will be
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located inside an equipment shelter on the roof of the building. The texture and color of the
shelter façade will match the corrugated metal of the existing screen walls on the roof.
The following pages provide detail regarding compliance with the City’s zoning requirements for
Wireless Telecommunication Sites.
LAND USE CODE SECTION 3.8.13
REQUIREMENTS FOR WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATION
3.8.13 Wireless Telecommunication
(A) Location. Subject to the requirements of paragraph (B) of this Section, wireless
telecommunication equipment may be attached to or mounted on any existing building or
structure (or substantially similar replacement structure) located in any zone district of the city.
Wireless telecommunication equipment shall not, however, be permitted to be attached to or
mounted on any residential building containing four (4) or fewer dwelling units.
FTC Peloton Proposal: The proposed design calls for a stealth antenna screening to
match the existing screen walls on the roof. The fiberglass material is “radio-
frequency-transparent”, that is, radio signals can penetrate the material; however,
the fiberglass material is opaque and will completely conceal the antennas. A
sample of this fiberglass material is on file at the City planning office; it was
submitted as part of an application for the “Verizon Wireless FTC Wolf Pup” site.
(B) Co-location. No wireless telecommunication facility or equipment owner or lessee or
employee thereof shall act to exclude or attempt to exclude any other wireless
telecommunication provider from using the same building, structure or location. Wireless
telecommunication facility owners or lessees or employees thereof shall cooperate in good faith
to achieve co-location of wireless telecommunication facilities and equipment with other
wireless telecommunication providers.
FTC Peloton Proposal: Verizon Wireless will not act to exclude or attempt to
exclude any other competitor from using the building for the location of other
antennas or telecommunication equipment.
(C) Standards.
(1) Setbacks. With respect to a wireless telecommunication facility that is a tower or a monopole,
the setback of the facility from the property lines shall be one (1) foot for every foot of height.
However, to the extent that it can be demonstrated that the structure will collapse rather than
topple, this requirement can be waived by the Director. In addition, the setbacks for ground-
mounted wireless telecommunication equipment shall be governed by the setback criteria
established in Articles 3 and/or 4.
FTC Peloton Proposal: Not applicable to rooftop installation.
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(2) Wireless Telecommunication Facilities. Whether manned or unmanned, wireless
telecommunication facilities shall be consistent with the architectural style of the surrounding
architectural environment (planned or existing) considering exterior materials, roof form, scale,
mass, color, texture and character. Such facilities shall also be compatible with the surrounding
natural environment considering land forms, topography, and other natural features. If such
facility is an accessory use to an existing use, the facility shall be constructed out of materials
that are equal to or better than the materials of the principal use.
Verizon Wireless Response: The proposed telecommunication facilities are
consistent with the architectural style of the existing office building. The façade of
the proposed equipment shelter will be the same color and texture as the existing
rooftop screen walls. The rooftop antenna screening will also match the existing
screen walls in form, scale, color and texture.
(3) Wireless Telecommunication Equipment. Wireless telecommunication equipment shall be of
the same color as the building or structure to which or on which such equipment is mounted.
Whenever a wireless telecommunication antenna is attached to a building roof, the height of the
antenna shall not be more than fifteen (15) feet over the height of the building. All wireless
telecommunication equipment shall be located as far from the edge of the roof as possible. Even
if the building is constructed at or above the building height limitations contained in Section
3.8.17, the additional fifteen (15) feet is permissible.
Whenever wireless telecommunication equipment is mounted to the wall of a building or
structure, the equipment shall be mounted in a configuration as flush to the wall as technically
possible and shall not project above the wall on which it is mounted.
Roof- and ground-mounted wireless telecommunication equipment shall be screened by parapet
walls or screen walls in a manner compatible with the building’s design, color and material.
FTC Peloton Proposal: Roof mounted antennas will be completely screened by
opaque fiberglass material fabricated to match the color and texture of the existing
rooftop screen walls. The screening structures will be compatible with the
building’s design, color and material. Antennas will be located as far from the edge
of the roof as possible and mounted to the existing screen walls to be as
inconspicuous as possible. Neither antennas nor the equipment structure will exceed
fifteen (15) feet over the height of the building.
(4) Landscaping. Wireless telecommunication facilities and ground-mounted wireless
telecommunications equipment may need to be landscaped with landscaping materials that
exceed the levels established in Section 3.2.1, due to the unique nature of such facilities.
Landscaping may therefore be required to achieve a total screening effect at the base of such
facilities or equipment to screen the mechanical characteristics. A heavy emphasis on coniferous
plants for year-round screening may be required.
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If a wireless telecommunication facility or ground-mounted wireless telecommunication
equipment has frontage on a public street, street trees shall be planted along the roadway in
accordance with the policies of the City Forester.
FTC Peloton Proposal: The antennas and equipment for this site will be roof
mounted. The only ground mounted equipment is an emergency backup generator
which will be located at the rear of the building in an enclosed area with other utility
equipment. Therefore, no landscaping is proposed. Please see photo of generator
area on Page 6 of this document.
(5) Fencing. Chain link fencing shall be unacceptable to screen facilities. Fencing material shall
consist of wood, masonry, stucco or other acceptable materials and be opaque. Fencing shall not
exceed six (6) feet in height.
FTC Peloton Proposal: No fencing is proposed.
(6) Berming. Berms shall be considered as an acceptable screening device. Berms shall feature
slopes that allow mowing, irrigation and maintenance.
FTC Peloton Proposal: No berming is proposed.
(7) Irrigation. Landscaping and berming shall be equipped with automatic irrigation systems
meeting the water conservation standards of the city.
FTC Peloton Proposal: No landscaping or berming is proposed; hence, no irrigation
is required.
(8) Color. All wireless telecommunication facilities and equipment shall be painted to match as
closely as possible the color and texture of the wall, building or surrounding built environment.
Muted colors, earth tones and subdued colors shall be used.
FTC Peloton Proposal: The façade of the Verizon Wireless equipment shelter will
have the same color and texture as the corrugated metal of the existing screen walls
on the rooftop. The antenna screening will be fabricated of fiberglass designed to
match the color and texture of the existing screen walls.
(9) Lighting. The light source for security lighting shall be high pressure sodium and feature
down-directional, sharp cut-off luminaries so that there is no spillage of illumination off-site.
Light fixtures, whether freestanding or tower-mounted, shall not exceed twenty-two (22) feet in
height.
FTC Peloton Proposal: The only light fixture proposed is a “full cut-off” exterior
light on the equipment shelter as depicted on Sheet A2.0. It will not exceed twenty-
two (22) feet in height.
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(10) Interference. Wireless telecommunication facilities and equipment shall operate in such a
manner so as not to cause interference with other electronics such as radios, televisions or
computers.
FTC Peloton Proposal: The Verizon Wireless telecommunications site shall pose no
interference issues with other electronics.
(11) Access Roadways. Access roads must be capable of supporting all of the emergency
response equipment of the Poudre Fire Authority.
FTC Peloton Proposal: No new access roads are proposed at this site. The existing
access and parking lots will be undisturbed.
(12) Foothills and Hogbacks. Wireless telecommunication facilities and equipment located in or
near the foothills bear a special responsibility for mitigating visual disruption. If such a location
is selected, the applicant shall provide computerized, three-dimensional, visual simulation of the
facility or equipment and other appropriate graphics to demonstrate the visual impact on the view
of the city’s foothills and hogbacks.
FTC Peloton Proposal: Foothills or Hogbacks are not an issue for this site.
(13) Airports and Flight Paths. Wireless telecommunication facilities and equipment located
near airports and flight paths shall obtain the necessary approvals from the Federal Aviation
Administration.
FTC Peloton Proposal: The proposed wireless telecommunication equipment is not
located near an airport or flight path.
(14) Historic Sites and Structures. Wireless telecommunication facilities and equipment shall not
be located on any historic site or structure unless permission is first obtained from the city’s
Landmark Preservation Commission as required by Chapter 14 of the City Code.
FTC Peloton Proposal: The subject property is not an historic site or structure.
(15). Stealth Technology: To the extent reasonably feasible, the applicant shall employ “stealth
technology” so as to convert the wireless telecommunication into wireless telecommunication
equipment, as the best method by which to mitigate and/or camouflage visual impacts. Stealth
technology consists of, but is not limited to, the use of grain bins, silos, or elevators, church
steeples, water towers, clock towers, bell towers, false penthouses or other similar “mimic”
structures. Such “mimic” structures shall have a contextual relationship to the adjacent area.
FTC Peloton Proposal: The proposed Verizon Wireless facility will be designed to
conceal the wireless antennas inside “stealth” antenna screens fabricated to match
the color and texture of the existing rooftop screen walls. Equipment will be
concealed inside a structure with a façade designed to match the color and texture of
the existing screen walls.
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Proposed location of backup emergency generator at rear of building
Aerial View: 2950 E. Harmony Road
Verizon Wireless FTC Peloton
Proposed antenna locations
Proposed location of
equipment structure
Proposed generator location