The purpose of establishing requirements for communication towers shall be to provide a suitable area for communication towers which will fulfill the local need for such structures without introducing visual clutter and hazardous situations within the Town of Somerville.

Communication towers may be permitted as special exceptions by the board of zoning appeals, limited to sites located in RR, LM, or HM districts.

All towers and accessory structures shall be set back from the lot line a distance equal to the height of the structure.

(1)

The shared use of existing towers or structures shall be required. The applicant's proposal for a new communications tower shall not be approved unless the applicant can prove that the proposed equipment cannot be accommodated on an existing or approved tower or structure located within a minimum distance of one mile of the proposed tower due to one of the following reasons:

A.

The planned equipment would exceed the structural capacity of the existing or approved tower or structure and said tower or structure does not have the capability to be upgraded;

B.

The planned equipment would cause radio frequency interference with other existing or planned equipment;

C.

The planned equipment would not function effectively and reasonably on an existing tower or structure;

D.

Geographic service requirements would prevent the co-use of an existing tower or structure.

(2)

The feasibility of the shared use of any proposed tower in the future shall be addressed at the time of application. As a minimum, a tower shall be designed for the co-use of a minimum of three fully sectored antenna arrays unless such tower is proposed for co-use on an existing utility structure. The applicant shall provide a letter of intent committing the tower owner and any successive owners to providing for the shared use of the tower, if a future applicant agrees in writing to pay any reasonable rate for the shared use.

All new towers over 60 feet in height shall be of mono-pole type construction. No lattice type antennas or towers over 60 feet in height shall be permitted.

The applicant shall provide written certification from a licensed engineer that the tower is able to withstand winds of a minimum of 70 miles per hour with 0.5 inch radial ice.

(1)

No tower shall exceed a height of 195 feet.

(2)

In instances when a tower is to be co-located upon an existing utility structure, which is defined as a power line structure or an existing water tower, the maximum tower height shall not exceed the height of the structure plus 20 feet.

The co-location of towers and antennas shall only be permitted on existing and proposed communication towers and public utility structures consisting of power line structures or water towers in excess of 35 feet in height.

No artificially lighted tower shall be permitted. If the proposed tower is required to be lighted by any applicable statute or ordinance, then the applicant shall be required to reduce the height of the tower or move the tower to eliminate the requirement for lighting. Outside lighting of structures, if required for safety and security purposes, shall be of a sensory fashion in which illumination occurs only when the site is approached. The lighting shall be arranged to minimize glare and reflection on adjacent residential properties and public streets and does not exceed 0.4 foot candles measured at the property line, easement line or abutting properties zoned for residential use.

The tower facility shall be fully secured through the installation of a security fencing/wall system of a minimum height of eight feet or the height of the accessory structures, whichever is greater.

(1)

Any tower that is no longer in use for its original communication purpose shall be removed at the owner's expense. The owner shall provide the town with a copy of the notice of intent to the FCC to cease operations and shall be given 90 days from the date of the ceasing of operations to remove the tower and all accessory structures, provided another operator has not submitted a request for a tower during that time period. In the case of multiple operators sharing a single tower, this provision shall not become effective until all users cease operations.

(2)

Prior to the issuance of a permit for any tower, co-use of any tower or co-use of any utility structure, a surety instrument (i.e. irrevocable letter of credit or bond), which shall serve to ensure prompt removal of the tower once it ceases to operate, shall be provided by all users. The amount of the surety instrument shall be determined by the Town of Somerville prior to approval by the planning commission during the review process.