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City Zoning Regulations <br />The Zoning Code requires applicants to consider the City water tower sites and existing towers <br />before any other location or before building a new tower. However, the Code also prohibits the <br />addition of new antennas to the existing Reiling Tower because it is considered legally non- <br />conforming under the code. This creates a contradiction in the Zoning Code because if the water <br />tower sites were deemed infeasible from an engineering review, a potential applicant would not <br />be able to consider the Reiling Tower due to its non-conforming status. This could result in a <br />request for a new antenna tower, which the City is trying to avoid when possible. <br />The height requirements within the code are also contrary to the purpose of reducing the number <br />of towers necessary to provide suitable service. Generally speaking the greater the height of the <br />antenna, the greater the range, thus potentially reducing the number of antennas that are <br />necessary to accomplish the same level of service. Moreover, permitting antennas on existing <br />towers at heights greater than 75 feet would allow better utilization of existing tower space and <br />may reduce the need for new towers elsewhere in the City. <br />The need for suitable antenna sites is anticipated to <br />wireless services. While some older technologies are <br />high-speed services are requiring additional antennas. <br />demand from wireless internet and cellular services. <br />Conditional Use Pe�mitAmendment Request <br />increase with the growing demand for <br />consolidating antenna sites, the newer <br />It is reasonable to expect increasing <br />The applicant is requesting that the original CUP be amended to allow the owners to add, <br />relocate, or replace antennas on the Reiling Tower as needed, up to the existing 3 0 antennas that <br />currently exist on the tower (Attachment D). Any change to equipment on the tower would <br />require a building permit and administration review, but a CUP amendment for changes would <br />not be required. If the owners wanted to place additional antennas beyond the existing 3 0 a CUP <br />Amendment would be required. <br />In addition to allowing the current configuration of the tower to remain, this CUP amendment <br />makes it possible for future users to apply to add additional antennas onto the tower. The result <br />would be in keeping with the goal of the Zoning Code to reduce the demand for future new <br />towers in the City. While requiring a CUP is not the typical process in other communities, <br />including Shoreview, Roseville, and Minnetonka, which allow additional antennas to be added to <br />existing towers without a CUP, it opens up the possibility to allow additional antennas on <br />existing towers. This is not currently permitted under the Code. <br />Enginee�ing Review <br />As noted in the first part of this report, the Reiling Tower has undergone a number of changes to <br />the antenna configuration since it was constructed in 1972. The current configuration is not in <br />City of A�den Hills <br />City Council Meeting for April 26, 2010 <br />C.•IDOCUME��IMEAGAN�I.BEEILOCALS�IITempIELFl5104-26-10 - Regular Meeting - PC 09-023 - Memo.doc <br />Page 3 of 6 <br />