Harding Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XXXV
Wireless Telecommunications Facilities
§ 225-161 Purpose.
The purpose of this article is to regulate the location and placement of wireless telecommunications facilities within Harding Township in order to promote seamless wireless telecommunications for the benefit of the public in accordance with the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The goals of these requirements are:
A.
To limit the impact of wireless telecommunications towers, antennas and facilities on residential and historic areas and on the rural character of the Township.
B.
To minimize the use of large towers by encouraging the location of relatively small antennas on or in existing structures, especially on public or quasi-public property (schools, churches, firehouses, etc.).
C.
To locate wireless telecommunications towers in nonhistoric and nonresidential areas where suitable existing structures to support antennas are not available.
D.
To minimize the total number of wireless telecommunications towers in the Township.
E.
To encourage the joint use of new and existing tower sites rather than construction of additional single-user towers.
F.
To encourage users of wireless telecommunications facilities to configure them in a way that minimizes adverse impact through careful design, siting, landscape screening and innovative camouflaging techniques.
G.
To enhance the ability of the providers of wireless telecommunications services to provide such services quickly, effectively and efficiently.
§ 225-162 Use regulations for wireless telecommunications antennas.
Installation of a wireless telecommunications antenna or antenna array on an existing building or structure shall be a permitted use in all zone districts in accordance with the requirements of this section and §§ 225-163 and 225-164, in order to encourage the use of such antennas on or in existing structures as an alternative to the construction of towers. A wireless telecommunications antenna or antenna array installed pursuant to this article shall be attached to an existing building or structure in such a way so as to minimize its visibility from public or private roads. No more than one antenna or antenna array shall be attached to a building or structure and not more than three antennas or antenna arrays shall be permitted on a lot. An antenna array shall consist of no more than three antennas grouped together on a single mounting bracket. Multiple antennas or multiple arrays of antennas attached to a single building or structure, or towers constructed for the support of wireless telecommunications antennas, shall be permitted only as a conditional use in accordance with the provisions of Article XXXVII.
§ 225-163 Bulk regulations.
The following bulk regulations shall apply to wireless telecommunications antennas that are not mounted upon towers. Wireless telecommunications antennas mounted upon towers shall comply with the requirements of § 225-175.
A.
Height and width. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 225-116H, the maximum height of a wireless telecommunications antenna or antenna array shall not extend beyond the overall height of the building or structure to which it is attached by more than 11 feet. An antenna array shall not exceed 12 feet in width.
B.
Location. Any equipment associated with wireless telecommunications antennas shall be located within or behind existing structures, buildings or terrain features and shall be landscaped so as to obscure it from view.
C.
Equipment building, cabinet, or locker size limit. Any equipment that is necessary in association with a wireless telecommunications antenna shall be housed in a building, cabinet, or locker. If an existing building is not available or viable to house the equipment, a cabinet or locker of no more than 1,000 cubic feet in size may be placed on the site consistent with Subsection B above, subject to the setback limitations of the zone in which the property is situated. Equipment cabinets or lockers not enclosed within a building shall not exceed 12 feet in height. A new building constructed to house the equipment shall comply with the setback limitations and other bulk requirements governing accessory structures of the zone in which the property is situated.
§ 225-164 Minor site plan review.
[Amended 3-17-2004 by Ord. No. 4-04]
Wireless telecommunications antennas or antenna arrays erected on or in existing structures shall be subject to minor site plan approval from the Planning Board. An applicant for minor site plan approval shall submit evidence to the Board that a license for service has been obtained from the Federal Communications Commission. If any equipment associated with an antenna or array is determined to be visually obtrusive or insufficiently shielded from view, the Planning Board may classify the application as a major site plan and hold a public hearing in connection therewith.