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Planning board recommends update to telecommunications tower rules, asks staff to refine language
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Board recommended that Ordinance 2026‑01, which would allow monopole towers on certain town‑owned R‑1A parcels by special exception and relax separation rules, go to the Town Commission with editorial and substantive clarifications.
The Planning and Zoning Board voted to recommend Ordinance 2026‑01, a proposed amendment to the town's telecommunications tower rules, to the Town Commission while asking staff to refine specific terminology and co‑location language.
Renee, speaking for staff, described the proposed change as an update to the town's land development code to expand siting options for public‑safety and carrier coverage while maintaining oversight. "The code currently limits tower heights to 100 feet... the industry standard is 150 feet," she said, describing a draft that would allow towers on town‑owned R‑1A properties via special exception, require monopole designs (no guy wires), mandate minimum separation from residences and reduce the minimum separation between towers from two miles to 1.5 miles.
Staff said the parcel under consideration is a town‑owned site behind the police department and noted that any concrete siting would still require a subsequent special‑exception public hearing with neighbor notification. Renee said the changes could also create potential revenue through land‑leases and allow public‑safety equipment to be colocated on town infrastructure.
Board members raised several detail edits: standardizing terminology ("telecommunications towers" vs "antenna support structures"), clarifying co‑location and accessory equipment requirements, and ensuring duplicated paragraphs are consolidated. One board member suggested stronger language to require shared use where appropriate; another recommended staff clarify structural design standards for three carriers.
The board agreed staff should refine the ordinance text consistent with the edits discussed. The board then voted to recommend Ordinance 2026‑01 to the Town Commission, with the record noting April 28 as the first Commission public hearing and May 12 as the second and final hearing.
The recommendation transmits the board's suggested clarifications and does not itself change the code; any final amendment will require Town Commission approval and, where applicable, subsequent special‑exception hearings for individual tower sites.
