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Council amends wireless‑facilities ordinance after county information and planning‑authority concerns
Summary
Ferrysburg councilors discussed proposed Ordinance No. 344 on wireless communications facilities and, after reviewing county correspondence about a vendor working with Ottawa County, removed language that would let the planning commission approve certain special land uses without council review and passed the amended ordinance.
Council continued discussion of Ordinance No. 344, which would update local rules for wireless communication facilities, amateur radio, satellite dishes and other antennas. Members said they did not yet have full information from Ottawa County about the county's work with an outside company to locate towers; staff provided correspondence indicating the company (referred to in the packet as Virta or Verita) said it had worked with county governments and offered to speak with local staff.
A central council concern was whether the ordinance as drafted would allow the planning commission to approve special land use (SLU) permits for towers without council review. Council member DeWitt and others argued the final decision should rest with elected officials; staff confirmed that the zoning text as proposed could give the planning commission authority to approve some site plans or SLUs. After discussion, the council moved to amend the ordinance to remove the provision allowing autonomous planning‑commission approval of SLUs so that SLUs would come to city council after a planning‑commission recommendation. The council then voted to adopt the ordinance with that amendment and directed staff to pursue further information from county contacts and the vendor about alternatives to siting a 300‑foot tower in Ferrysburg.
The amendment does not itself site any specific tower; councilors emphasized continuing work with Ottawa County and consultants to identify reasonable alternatives and to seek information on overlapping coverage from nearby jurisdictions before final site decisions are made.
