No wireless communications facilities shall be erected or installed except in compliance with the provisions of this article. Any proposed modification to an existing wireless communications facility, including, but not limited to, extension in the height, addition of antennas or panels, or construction of a new or replacement of a facility, shall be subject to these provisions and shall require a new application. The Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals each may, at its discretion, waive any application requirements for modifications to existing facilities.

Wireless communication facilities shall, if feasible, be located on preexisting structures, buildings or towers, provided such installation shall preserve the character of the structure, building or tower. The applicant shall demonstrate that there are no feasible preexisting structures, buildings or towers. If there are no feasible preexisting structures, buildings or towers, then wireless communication facilities shall, if feasible, be located on public land.

Lattice-style towers and/or any tower requiring guy wires shall not be permitted except on public land. All towers shall be preengineered to fail at a predetermined height and fold in half in the event of catastrophic failure.

Providers of wireless communication service shall report to the Building Commissioner any cessation in the use or operation of any wireless communications facility that exceeds 30 days, and such facilities shall be removed at the owner's expense within one year of cessation of use or operation.

The setback of a tower from the property line of the lot on which it is located shall be at least equal to the height of the preengineered fault, as described in § 315-82C above, measured at the man-finished grade of the tower base. Further, the tower shall be located a minimum 300 feet from the nearest existing residential building and 750 feet from any historic district.

All towers shall be designed to be constructed at the minimum height necessary to accommodate the anticipated and future use. No wireless communications facility shall exceed 190 feet in height as measured from ground level at the base of the tower.

All wireless communications facilities shall be sited in such a manner that the view of the facility from adjacent abutters, residential neighbors and other areas of the Town shall be as limited as possible. All wireless communications facilities shall be painted, colored, and/or constructed of materials that minimize the visual impact of the wireless communications facilities on adjacent abutters, residential neighbors and other areas of the Town, and in a manner that blends them into the structure, building, tower and/or landscape where they are located. The Zoning Board of Appeals may impose reasonable conditions to ensure this result, including painting and lighting standards.

To the extent feasible, all service providers shall co-locate on a single tower. Wireless communications facilities shall be designed to accommodate the maximum number of users technologically practical. The intent of this requirement is to reduce the number of towers which will be required within the community. New towers shall be considered only upon a finding by the Zoning Board of Appeals that existing or approved towers cannot adequately fulfill the applicant's service requirements or accommodate the wireless communications equipment contemplated by the applicant.

An applicant proposing a wireless communications facility shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Zoning Board of Appeals that the applicant has endeavored to minimize the visual and aesthetic impacts of the proposed facility on residential abutters, and that the facility must be located at the proposed site due to technical, topographical or other unique circumstances.

Fencing shall be provided to control access to wireless communications facilities and shall be compatible with the scenic character of the Town and of abutting properties and shall not be of barbed or razor wire unless completely blocked from view by shrubs or other landscaping. A landscape buffer of evergreen shrubs or tree planting shall be provided on the outside of the fenced area. The shrub or tree planting shall mature to a height equivalent to the fence height and be planted at a height of at least four feet and planted no less than three feet apart. All landscape plantings must be continually maintained.

There shall be no signs except a sign identifying the facility, the owner and operator and an emergency telephone number where the owner can be reached on a twenty-four-hour basis; a "no trespassing" sign; a sign displaying the FCC registration number; and any signs required to warn of danger. All signs shall comply with the requirements of the Longmeadow Zoning Bylaw.

No wireless communications facility installed within 750 feet of a single residence shall exceed the maximum height limitation established by the Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA") for required night lighting. Night lighting of towers shall be prohibited unless required by the FAA. Lighting shall be limited to that needed for emergencies and/or as required by the FAA. Lighting of buildings and the ground may be provided to ensure a safe and secure facility. All lighting shall be shielded to prevent undue impact on surrounding properties.

There shall be a minimum of one parking space for each facility, to be used in connection with the maintenance of the site, and not to be used for the permanent storage of vehicles or other equipment.

To the extent feasible, all network interconnections from the communications site shall be via land lines.

Existing on-site vegetation shall be preserved to the maximum extent practicable. Clearing of land shall be performed in a manner which will maximize preservation of natural beauty and conservation of natural resources and which will minimize marring and scarring of the landscape or silting of streams or wetlands.

Traffic associated with the tower and accessory facilities and structures shall not adversely affect abutting ways.

Applicants proposing to erect wireless communications facilities on municipally owned land or structures shall provide evidence of contractual authorization from the Town of Longmeadow to conduct wireless communications services on municipally owned property.

For an application to be considered complete, the following information must be submitted:

Within 30 days after filing the application for any new tower or extension in height thereto, the applicant shall arrange to fly a balloon at the primary and an alternate site at the maximum height of the proposed installation on a weekend day between the hours of noon and 3:00 p.m. The balloon shall be of size and color that can be seen from every direction for a distance of one mile. The date and location of the flights shall be advertised at least 14 days, but not more than 21 days, before the flights in at least two different issues of a newspaper with a general circulation in the Town of Longmeadow.

Special permit applications must include a Planning Board decision per Article VII, § 315-47A(1) or (3), and include at least one copy of all documents submitted to the Planning Board and made part of that decision.