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Planning board backs updated telecom ordinance to allow monopoles on town‑owned sites for improved coverage
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Summary
On April 20, 2026 the board recommended Ordinance 2026‑01 to the Town Commission to allow limited monopole cell towers on town‑owned R1A parcels, raise typical tower height to industry norms (~150 ft), and reduce separation rules, while instructing staff to clarify technical language and co‑location requirements.
The Town of Oakland Planning and Zoning Board on April 20, 2026 recommended that the Town Commission adopt amendments to the telecommunications portion of the Land Development Code (Ordinance 2026‑01) to allow limited telecommunication towers on town‑owned R1A properties and to update siting and technical standards.
Staff explained that current code limits towers to industrial zones and requires large separation and a 100‑foot cap, which has constrained opportunities to improve cell coverage in town center and to support public safety radio needs. The proposed changes would: permit towers on certain town‑owned parcels by special exception, increase typical allowable heights toward industry practice (staff cited roughly 150 feet), reduce the minimum separation metric (proposed from 2 miles to 1.5 miles), and require monopole designs (no guy wires) with an emphasis on co‑location and public safety equipment on towers.
Staff noted a candidate site behind the police department and adjacent to a lift station, roughly 1.8 miles from an existing tower. The staff presentation stressed that any specific tower application would return through the special‑exception public hearing process, including neighbor notice, and that the town would use an RFP process that could mandate monopole designs and specify co‑location and rental/lease terms.
Board members proposed several clarifying edits to the draft ordinance language: standardizing terminology (distinguishing antennas vs. support structures), tightening a sentence that currently “strongly encourages” shared co‑use so that the requirement is explicit or better aligned to other code sections, and cleaning up cross‑references. The board asked staff to refine the language before the commission hearings.
A motion to recommend Ordinance 2026‑01 to the Town Commission passed by voice vote, with the board directing staff to implement the discussed clarifications before submission. Staff said the ordinance would proceed to the Town Commission with a first public hearing on April 28 and a second/final hearing on May 12.
