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Plan Review Detail
Review Status: Completed
Review Details: REZONING - IPC
Plan Number - T09SE00056
Review Name: REZONING - IPC
Review Status: Completed
| Review Date | Reviewer's Name | Type of Review | Description | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/08/2014 | PETER MCLAUGHLIN | ZONING | REVIEW | Completed | |
| 09/08/2014 | PMCLAUG1 | ENGINEERING | REVIEW | Completed | |
| 09/08/2014 | PMCLAUG1 | FIRE | REVIEW | Completed | |
| 09/09/2014 | MCASTRO2 | COMMUNITY PLANNING | REVIEW | Completed | DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES SE-09-56 AT&T - Grant Road, C-1 & C-3 (Ward 3) Change of Condition Change Condition #10 (Ordinance No. 10801) Plan Tucson and Cragin-Keeling Area Plan 2nd Distribution - September 9, 2014 mc Introduction - On June 8, 2010, in the case of SE-09-56, Mayor and Council passed and adopted Ordinance 10801 subject to the conditions listed in Exhibit A to Ordinance 10801. This was a request to allow for the installation of a 55-foot high wireless communication facility (monopalm) with six antenna panels, each four feet in length, at 785 East Grant Road. The applicant is now requesting a change of condition to condition 10 to allow for three more antenna panels (eight feet in length) to be attached to the existing monopalm for a total of nine antenna panels. The existing antenna panels will also be replaced with eight foot long panels. Area Zoning and Land Uses - The subject site land use zone is C-1 and C-3, commercial. The monopalm is located within a commercial complex at the northeast corner of 1st Avenue and Grant Road. To the west across 1st Avenue and to the north is zoned C-3 commercial and developed with commercial land uses. To the northeast and east is a residential neighborhood with single-story homes zoned R-1 residential, and to the south across Grant Road is zoned C-1 commercial and developed with commercial land uses. The existing monopalm is approximately seventy (70) feet from the nearest residence which is located to the east of the parcel. Land Use Policies - Cragin-Keeling Area Plan Policy direction is provided by Plan Tucson (PT) and the Cragin-Keeling Area Plan (CKAP). The Cragin-Keeling Area Plan was adopted in 1990, before there was a proliferation of cell towers. According to the Plan's conceptual land use map, the site is at an intersection designated for mix land uses including neighborhood commercial. Neighborhood commercial land uses are supported at the northeast corner of Grant Road and 1st Avenue. A goal of the Plan's design guidelines is to ensure the compatibility of new development with existing land uses, specifically when commercial abuts residential uses. Plan Tucson More direct policy is provided by Plan Tucson. The existing monopalm is located within a Mixed-Use Center area as identified by Plan Tucson. A Mixed-Use Center supports a variety of retail, services, office, and public gathering places located close to each other, providing occupants of the center, residents, and workers in the surrounding neighborhoods with local access to goods and services. Plan Tucson provides direction and support in Chapter 3 - The Built Environment, under Guidelines LT28.1.2, LT28.1.3 which state telecommunication facilities shall be installed and maintained to minimize visual impact and preserve views, to improve the appearance of above ground utilities and structures, and extend access to high-tech wireless communication facilities throughout the city. Visual impacts are a key consideration during the review process. The request is to exchange an array of antennas for a larger array on an existing monopalm. The overall commercial complex, where the wireless communication facility is located, consists of multiple parcels totaling approximately 9-acres. The nearest residential unit is approximately seventy (70) feet to the east along a residential neighborhood edge which abuts to the commercial corridor along Grant Road and 1st Avenue. The proposed antenna array will not increase the height of the monopalm. The existing and proposed ground equipment will remain within the masonry enclosure. Existing conditions and viewsheds will not significantly change on the site, other than the proposed new antenna array. The existing wireless communication facility was originally approved with the addition of three live palm trees to mitigate the stealth design of the monopalm. Since the approval and installation of the wireless communication facility, one of the palm trees (tallest) has died, leaving a trunk with no crown of fronds. Visual impacts to the immediate area will not significantly change with the exchange of antennas, provided all of the panels can be concealed within the fronds of the palm stealth design and painted to blend with the natural color mix of the adjacent live palms. Staff acknowledges that the upgrade in the communication facility will help improve telecom services to the established neighborhoods and businesses in the area. Plan Compliance and Recommendation - The proposal is consistent with Plan Tucson and the Cragin-Keeling Area Plan, and will not require a plan amendment. The policies in Plan Tucson, LT28.1.2 and LT28.1.3, provide direction for the installation and maintenance of wireless communication facilities. As such, staff can support the request for a change of condition to condition 10 of Ordinance 10801 subject to the following: 1. Update condition number 10 to reflect that there will be no more than nine antenna panels. The following are recommendations that can be addressed through the existing conditions of Ordinance 10801: 2. The dead palm tree shall be replaced with one at a height as originally required. (Condition 15) 3. The new antenna array shall not extend above or below the artificial palm fronds. (Condition 10) 4. Palm trees shall be maintained in a healthy condition. Any palm trees that die shall be replaced with one of the same size. (Condition 15) 5. In addition, any graffiti visible from the public right-of-way or the adjacent residential neighborhood is removed within ten working days of observation. (Condition 14) Plan Tucson - Policies LT28.1.2 Require telecommunications facilities be located, installed, and maintained to minimize visual impact and preserve views. Cabling and fiber optics should be installed underground where possible, and the visual impact of cellular towers should be a prime consideration in the City's acceptance and approval. LT28.1.3 Improve the appearance of above-ground utilities and structures and extend access to high-tech wireless communications facilities throughout the city. |