11-26-07 Item 8A, PC 07-024 1230 Red Fox Road CUP

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In order to make room for the two new antennas at the 152 foot level, the Sprint is proposing to remove a Nextel antenna at the 154 foot level. Removing the Nextel antenna will create room for one of the proposed new Sprint antennas at the 152 foot level. The other proposed Sprint antenna at the 152 foot level would be in a location that previously did not have an antenna. Since the total number ofNextel antennas is decreasing and the replacement antennas are not outside ofthe approved leased area for Nextel, the Nextel antenna removal does not require a CUP or a lease amendment. Although under a different lease, Nextel is owned by Sprint, and Sprint has authorized the Nextel antenna change. The applicant has submitted two letters from Henry Bellagamba, an engineer with Fullerton Engineering Consultants who prepared the engineering drawings for the proposed plans (Included in the October 3, 2007 Report to the Planning Commission). According to these letters, the proposed changes to the antenna configuration on the water tower will not exceed the structural capacity ofthe guardrails on which they would be mounted and that by engineering judgment the existing guardrail structure is adequate. The City Engineer reviewed the project and submitted a memo dated May 23, 2007 (included in the October 3, 2007 Report to the Planning Commission) with recommended conditions; these have been included as conditions for approval. The City Engineer does not anticipate structural issues associated with this proposed project. The Public Works Director has also reviewed the changes and does not have any concerns based on the submitted plans. There are no proposed changes to the existing ground equipment at the site. The result ofthis CUP amendment would be a net reduction of seven cellular antenna mounts and three actual antennas on the water tower. The vacated space at the 60 and 100 foot levels of the water tower would revert back to the City's control and could be leased to other companies. Sprint-Nextel Sprint leased the twelve antenna mounts at the 60, 80, and 100 foot levels from the City in 2000. Nextelleased the nine antennas mounts at the 154 foot level in 1995. In 2004, Sprint purchased Nextel; however, the leases have remained separate, in part because they use different cellular communication technologies. The cellular technology used by the Sprint side of the company, called CDMA, is different from the cellular technology used by the Nextel side of the company, which is called iDEN. Cellular Antenna Lease Rate Comparison Staff contacted the cities of Roseville, New Brighton, Shoreview, Mounds View, and Vadnais Heights in order to compare lease rates for cellular antenna on water towers and other city owned structures of similar heights. It is difficult to make direct comparisons because the circumstances of each tower is somewhat unique due to different population densities, structure densities, ground elevation, the total number of antennas at each site, and the ground elevation of antennas \\Metro-inet.us\ardenhills\PlanninglPlanning Cases12007\07-024 Sprint-Nextel CUP (ec Tabled)\! J 2607 - CC Report - Sprint CUP Amendment.doc Page 2 of5