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Petersburg commissioners begin drafting stricter rules for communication towers, recommend land-swap option
Summary
After public concern about new towers, the Planning Commission directed staff to refine ordinance language on setbacks, signage, maintenance and permitting for commercial communication equipment and voted to recommend a land swap to relocate a proposed tower to lower-impact borough property.
The Petersburg Planning Commission on Dec. 9 began drafting a suite of zoning changes aimed at tightening rules for commercial communication equipment and asked staff to pursue a recommendation to the borough assembly for a land swap to relocate a planned tower.
Public commenter Judy Ulmer opened the discussion, saying the new towers “hit Petersburg in a way that our ordinances…we're not prepared.” Commissioners cited concerns about safety, aesthetics, permit transparency and the potential for future leases of tower space to change a tower’s use.
Commissioners reviewed proposed ordinance language adapted from Haines that would recast modern cellular and broadband infrastructure as "communication equipment," and set standards for signage, five-year structural assessments by a licensed Alaska engineer, removal of unused equipment within 90 days and updated permitting for modifications. The draft included a setback approach drawn from Haines’ text and described minimum distances in specific circumstances, though several commissioners warned that a 1,500-foot buffer could be legally vulnerable.
"We can't regulate based on health concerns," planning staff advised in the meeting, noting federal Telecommunications Act and FCC constraints and urging the commission to ground code changes in aesthetics and physical safety. Commissioners agreed they must craft language that protects residents while remaining legally defensible and incentivizes colocation rather than encouraging new standalone towers.
Concerns about transparency and timing featured heavily. Commissioner Micah and others said construction has begun on at least one Mill Road site and pressed for the grant documentation and technical studies that justify towers built using federal funds. Micah urged a pause on further activity until the borough and community have access to grant criteria and study results.
As a near-term step, the commission approved drafting a recommendation that the borough assembly consider a land swap with Title Network (referred to in discussion) to relocate the proposed Flower Farm tower to a lower-impact borough parcel such as land adjacent to the rifle range or other borough-owned property. Commissioners worked together to refine the recommended wording before forwarding it to staff for placement on the next assembly agenda.
The commission asked staff to continue refining code language, run maps testing different proximity buffers and return with an updated draft; staff estimated a multi-month process to develop legally sound and effective zoning changes. The commission said it will continue the conversation at its next meeting.
