Planning commission unanimously recommends wireless ordinance and master plan with site preference for town-owned parcel near substation

The Springdale Planning Commission voted unanimously on Nov. 6 to recommend that the town council adopt revisions to Chapter 10-27 of the town code and to adopt a wireless communications master plan intended to improve cell coverage across Springdale.

Town staff presented the master plan as a year-long effort started under council direction “with the goal [of] improving cell service in Springdale,” and said the town's previous ordinance prioritized small-cell deployments, which staff said may have limited investment in larger infrastructure. "The project was started, under the direction of the town council, and the goal was improving cell service in Springdale," staff said during the presentation.

The commission’s formal recommendation included a site-specific condition for the PMO7 search area. Staff reported that an RF engineer had modeled a 35-foot facility on ground roughly 30 feet higher than the substation, which altered visibility and coverage conclusions. Staff presented four options to achieve the required coverage at PMO7: a 35-foot tower on higher ground, a 70-foot tower sited farther back near the substation, a combination of two 30-foot small-cell poles along SR‑9, or a single taller tower (about 120 feet) farther from the canyon. The packet included maps and spot-elevation checks to show modest elevation differences except on the small hill used for the 35-foot model.

Commissioners weighed trade-offs among visual impacts, access and coverage. Several members noted that the 35-foot hilltop option would be more visually prominent from nearby residences and likely require construction of a new access road on steep slopes; a taller tower near the substation would use existing access but could still be visible above nearby power poles. Staff told commissioners the 35-foot hill option might require a variance because of existing slope rules. One commissioner said, "My main concern with the tower at the substation is, you know, possibly health impacts, you know, and I know we can't regulate that," underscoring public sensitivity around siting even where the commission lacks regulatory authority over emissions.

On the siting choice for PMO7, the commission settled on option 2 with a stated preference that the tower be placed on town-owned property on the south side of the Rocky Mountain Power substation and away from homes when feasible. Staff noted that a facility on town property would give the town more leverage to require design treatments and lease terms; a facility on Rocky Mountain Power property would require coordination and offer less design control. The commission also asked staff to include language in the master plan requiring a company that proposes an alternate site to provide technical justification for why the preferred town-owned, south-of-substation option would not work.

The commission also reviewed candidate sites listed in Appendix D (site sketches and close-up diagrams). Members expressed concern that the small illustrative drawings might be too prescriptive without complete RF analysis and agreed to omit those images from the adopted master plan for now while preserving the narrative search-area descriptions.

Motion and vote: a commissioner moved that the planning commission recommend that the town council adopt the proposed changes to Chapter 10-27 and the wireless communications master plan (packet dated 11/26/2024), with findings that the proposal supports the Springdale General Plan. The motion specifically selected option 2 for PMO7 and included the preference that the tower be located on the south side of the substation on town property and that any alternate proposed sites be accompanied by technical justification. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously (aye votes recorded from Jennifer McCullough, Vice Chair Terry Kruske, Tom Dancy, Paul Zimmerman and Rich).

Next steps and limitations: the planning commission’s vote is a recommendation to the town council; any lease or placement on Rocky Mountain Power property will require coordination with that utility and subsequent proposals from cellular providers. Staff will correct minor ordinance wording and formatting errors noted by commissioners and will forward the commission’s recommendation to the council for final action.

Why it matters: the recommendation directs the council toward a master plan intended to expand coverage while directing siting to minimize visual impacts and to keep primary facilities on town‑owned parcels where possible. The commission left technical determinations—such as whether power lines would cause interference—to providers and engineers but asked for clear justification if providers seek alternatives to the commission’s preferred locations.