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REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION Date: 03/25/2013 Item No.: 12.b Department Approval City Manager Approval Item Description: Consider Approving a Lease Agreement with Verizon Wireless at the Reservoir Woods (1901 Alta Vista) Communication Tower B ACKGROUND 1 At the January 28, 2013 City Council meeting, the Council reviewed a proposal from Verizon Wireless to 2 modify the City-owned ground space lease area at the Reservoir Woods Communications Tower, located at 3 1901 Alta Vista Drive. The expansion of the ground space area needed to be addressed before a formal 4 Lease Agreement between the City and Verizon could proceed. 5 6 Verizon’s proposal required an expansion of the existing fenced-in ground spaced area by approximately 7 th 180 square feet to accommodate their preferred equipment shelter design. During the January 28 Council 8 discussion, it was noted that Verizon’s equipment shelter would require a variance given its size. The 9 Variance Board approved that request at their March 6, 2013 meeting, citing the need to accommodate 10 technological changes in the telecommunications industry and maintaining consistency with the 11 Comprehensive Plan and the intent of the Zoning Code. 12 13 th Also during the January 28 Council discussion, the Council acknowledged general support for expanding 14 the ground space area. However, they expressed a number of comments regarding the potential impacts on 15 the adjacent pathway and the overall Reservoir Woods park area. Those comments were generally focused 16 on building aesthetics, equipment noise, and landscaping. It was understood that the Parks Commission 17 th would be reviewing the proposal and these very same impacts at their upcoming March 5 meeting. 18 19 th On March 5, the Parks Commission reviewed a revised proposal from Verizon that included upgraded 20 building design elements including the use of brick and vertical façade improvements to include a 21 noticeable base and top. It also included revised plans to incorporate screening from tree plantings and the 22 possibility of either the installation of a black-vinyl fence or vining on the fence to improve screening even 23 further. The Parks Commission expressed their support for the revised plans and asked Staff to continue 24 working with Verizon to address any remaining landscaping concerns. 25 26 At the Parks Commission meeting, there was also a discussion on a proposed alternate access route 27 indicated on the construction plans. The depiction of an alternate route was necessary to demonstrate that 28 Verizon (and all existing carriers on the tower) would have legal access to the site in the event the 29 currently-used northerly route became unavailable. 30 31 This was in reaction to an issue recently raised by St. Paul Regional Water System (SPRWS) Staff who 32 Page 1 of 2