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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWIRELESS TELECOM. EQUIP. (US WEST) - PDP/FDP - 11-97D - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PROJECT NARRATIVE (3)screened from view by the existing parapet walls. The equipment cabinets will not be visible from nearby roadways. Monopole/Antenna The site will contain 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 flush -mounted to the exterior of the building with mounting brackets. Equipment Maintenance The equipment 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 equipment will be accessed through a stairwell on the Northwest side of the building. Utilities Power and telephone utilities will be extended to the lease area from existing service within the building. Development Assurances 1. The proposed equipment will emit no noxious odors, heat, noise or other pollutants. 2. Traffic to the equipment will be negligible. Local, full-time trained employees of US West will be responsible for regular inspection and maintenance of the equipment (approximately once a month or in an emergency). Access to the site will be restricted. 3. Construction of the equipment will exceed industry safety standards, and all construction will comply with all applicable local and state building codes and regulations. 4. The proposed equipment has been designed with consideration to local wind and weather conditions. 5_ The proposed equipment will comply with all applicable FCC and FAA regulations. 6. The equipment will not interfere with television or radio reception. 7. Normal household electric service (single phase 220 volttl00 amp) will be brought to the equipment. 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 equipment is essential for US West to construct a seamless PCS wireless network serving the City of Fort Collins. 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 equipment will in no way be detrimental to the health, safety or well-being of the community. 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 equipment 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 collocate its PCS antennas on the Holiday Inn University Park located at 425 West Prospect Road. The applicant will lease a 200 square -foot area on the roof - US West will flush mount up to nine panel antennas (six initially, three future) on three sides of the building and paint the antennas to match the building. Two equipment cabinets will be placed on a 9' 6" x I V 6" concrete pad located on the roof. Coverage Obiective US West's objective is to provide seamless coverage to the City of Fort Collins. The development of this network is expected to fulfill consumer demand for several years. Srte Analysis Zoning and Land Use The Holiday Inn University Park is located within an Employment District (E). Currently the parcel contains a hotel. Impact on Surrounding Residents The selection of this site for a PCS equipment site was made with the goal of minimizing the impact to the citizens of Fort Collins. To minimize impact, US West has proposed to collocate the equipment on an existing building. The antennas will be flush -mounted and painted to match the building. This will make them virtually unnoticeable. Equipment 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. The equipment boxes will be 4 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-friendty 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 rearstic 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.