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Council holds public hearing on wireless tower zoning change, tables ordinance to add camouflage rules
Summary
Council held a citywide public hearing on a zoning text amendment proposed by Buell Consulting/AT&T to allow wireless towers in single-family districts; after public comment and staff caution, council voted to table and direct staff to add stealth/camouflage requirements.
The Forest Lake City Council held a public hearing on a proposed zoning text amendment from Buell Consulting on behalf of AT&T to permit wireless communication towers as conditional uses in single-family residential districts and to relax acreage, setback and spacing standards.
City planner Abby summarized the applicant's request: reduce the acreage minimum (applicant sought 2.5 acres vs. the current 10-acre requirement), allow engineered fall zones in place of standard setbacks, increase maximum tower height up to 125 feet and eliminate the one-mile separation requirement. Abby said staff supported allowing towers by conditional use in single-family zoning for limited circumstances but recommended retaining most existing standards, including a 10-acre minimum, two-times-height setback to dwellings and the one-mile spacing.
Blair Ransom of Buell Consulting, representing AT&T, said the goal was to improve coverage and reliability for emergency services in coverage gap areas and described camouflage options for institutional sites such as churches. “My company is called Buell Consulting. We’re retained on behalf of AT and T to handle leasing, handle all the zoning process up through construction,” Ransom said.
Residents raised visual and safety concerns. Susan Young told the council she has spent years planting trees to screen an existing tower and warned about size and wind risks: “The problem with these towers is they are so freaking huge,” she said.
Councilmembers discussed regulatory implications: one council member cautioned that allowing towers through conditional use permits creates a permanent entitlement that runs with the land and could obligate approval if code criteria are later met. After debate the council voted to amend the motion and table consideration to direct staff to draft camouflage/stealth requirements and return with revised ordinance language.
The council did not adopt the ordinance on first reading; the matter will return to a future meeting with staff-proposed camouflage provisions and updated ordinance language.
