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Town of Oakland adopts zoning changes to allow taller telecommunication towers on town land
Summary
The Town Commission approved Ordinance 2026-01 on second reading May 12 to amend zoning rules so telecommunication towers can be taller and allowed as accessory uses on town-owned property, with separation standards and other code edits. The measure passed on a voice vote.
Mayor Shane Taylor opened the second reading and summary of Ordinance 2026-01, which would amend the Town of Oakland’s land development code to increase height limits for telecommunication towers, add minimum separation distances, and allow towers as an accessory use by special exception on town-owned property.
The ordinance text was read aloud by a meeting participant and the commission reopened the public hearing; no members of the public came forward to comment. Commissioner (Speaker 7) moved to approve the ordinance on second reading; the motion was seconded and the commission voted in favor.
The measure, as described in the reading, also includes scrivener corrections and updates to use tables and development standards. After the vote, Mayor Shane Taylor directed the town manager to seek providers to take advantage of the new zoning permission on town property. "Town manager, go find us some providers," Mayor Taylor said following the vote.
Why it matters: the ordinance changes create a regulatory pathway for telecommunications infrastructure on town-owned land that could improve cellular reception in parts of Oakland but will also require future permitting and site-level reviews under the development code. The second-reading approval means the code language will be codified per the ordinance’s effective date provisions unless there are additional legal steps required by the town charter.
What happened next: the commission closed the hearing and moved to other agenda items. The ordinance passed on a voice vote; the meeting transcript records a unanimous affirmative voice response among the commissioners present.
