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Lumen proposes premanufactured 'fiber huts' and generators at Ballenger Creek site
Summary
Level 3/Lumen presented a plan to add two 24x36-foot prefabricated huts, one 12x36 single-wide unit, two generators and upgraded power at 315 Ballinger Center Drive to expand fiber capacity as part of a nationwide initiative; work expected to take about 60 days and generators will be tested weekly for 15 minutes.
Sherry Kelly, case planner with the Frederick City Planning Department, introduced an application from Lumen (Level 3 Communications) to expand existing telecommunications infrastructure at 315 Ballinger Center Drive in Ballenger Creek.
Ryan Jolene, representing Level 3/Lumen, said the site is part of a national initiative covering 118 projects to expand capacity and bandwidth at existing telecom sites. The company proposes installing two double-wide, premanufactured concrete huts (24 by 36 feet), a single-wide hut (12 by 36 feet, approximately 11 feet 6 inches high), two new generators and an upgraded transformer in coordination with First Potomac Energy.
Jolene said the huts will match the appearance of existing fiber huts on site and that lighting will be a fully shielded, downward-facing, motion-activated fixture designed to minimize light pollution. He said the generators will be tested “once a week for 15 minutes” and otherwise run only during emergencies. Construction activities described include concrete work, trenching for conduit and setting the huts with a crane; Jolene estimated about 60 days for construction work on-site.
Kelly noted the application will go to the Planning Commission workshop in July and a hearing in August for approval. No public comments were submitted via the city’s e-comment function for this item at the meeting.
The project retains the existing telecommunications use and is characterized by city staff as an expansion of on-site capacity rather than a new use.
