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HomeMy WebLinkAbout009.09.14City of Chubbuck Land Use and Development Commission Meeting Minutes September 9, 2014 - 7:00 p.m. Minutes of the Land Use and Development Commission regular meeting held at Chubbuck City Hall, 5160 Yellowstone, on September 9, 2014. Chairman Peter Anderson: Commission Members: Dan Stoddard, Jay Buttars, Morris Kinghorn, James Eborn, Ron Horner. City Staff: Paul Andrus. Attorney: Tom Holmes. Secretary: Ranelle Simmons Chairman Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. Anderson asked those in attendance to turn cell phones off. Buttars led the commission in the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: Anderson entertained a motion to approve the minutes as mailed. Kinghorn moved the minutes of August 12, 2014 meeting be approved as mailed; Stoddard seconded. The full authority approved. NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Application from T- Mobile, 121 West Electron Road Suite 330, Draper UT 84020 for a Conditional Use Permit for construction of an 80' wireless facility at Chubbuck Elementary School, 600 West Chastain Drive, Chubbuck ID 83202. Rocky Schutjer, 2181 Hugo Avenue Salt Lake City, UT is in attendance representing the T- Mobile application. This would be the first site for T- Mobile in Chubbuck. There are 2 sites on the south side of Pocatello. There is also a Fairgrounds site that covers Chubbuck. There have been numerous complaints from customers to the west of Chubbuck Elementary. Large parcel of land at the school was a positive and this is a revenue plus for the School District. Questions from the commission: Where would the tower land if it fell? Schutjer: The tower is close to the east property line fence with the Hawthorne Veterinary Clinic. The tower would not fall on any residential property. Is this a monopole tower? Schutjer: Yes Where will the guy wires be located? Schutjer: This is a free standing tower not requiring any guide wires. Will there be a ladder on the tower? Schutjer: There will be a locked fence around the tower with no ladder. There will be climbing pegs for the tower climber. Typically at school locations 10 to 15 of the climbing pegs are removed after installation. What is the noise level? Schutjer: There is a type of HVAC unit that keep the equipment cool. There is a small amount of noise coming off that unit. Why not build the tower further north? Schutjer: Most of the complaints have come from immediately west of the school location. This site will cover 1 to 1.5 mile radius. J: \Planning \LUDC \LAND USE SECRETARY \Minutes \Minutes 2014 \Land Use Minutes 9.9.14.docx Bart Reed is School District 25 Director of Business Operations, 3115 Poleline Road, Pocatello, ID. The revenue is an $18,000 /year lease. No detriment with this project for the City of Chubbuck. The tower will be next to a horse pasture so it will not take away from the school district's property. Board of trustees did not have an issue. Pocatello High School has a tower on top of the 32'auditorium building that provides cell phone service. No comments from city staff. Anderson opened the public hearing. Rebecca Berls lives at 964 Margaret Street, Chubbuck, ID 83202. Tower is next to the playground with the biggest concern being radiation risk to the children. After going to the American Cancer Society website there are no radiation numbers for cell phone tower. Towers on buildings don't give off as much radiation. Highly recommend that the tower be not built. Please piggy back off the tower at the fairgrounds. City ordinance states the tower has to be on public land. Jason McClung lives at 4945 Spraker Street, Chubbuck, ID 83202. Will there be flashing lights on the tower? Completely agrees with all of Rebecca Berls comments. McClung is concerned with the change in property value because of the tower. T- Mobile should have to buy the land. Jeni Crystal lives at 934 Margaret Street, Chubbuck, ID 83202. She agrees with all of the previous statements. Linda Osterman lives at 5033 Joy Street, Chubbuck, ID 83202. The tower will be straight out the living room window. Concerned about lighting and the studies not being done on cell towers is a concern. Dave McAteer lives at 5023 Joy Street, Chubbuck, ID 83202. Why not build in the field north instead of the school ground? Property values are a concern. T- Mobile should buy the land. McAteer is opposed to the tower. Darrell Osterman lives at 5033 Joy Street, Chubbuck, ID 83202. Osterman opposes the tower and agrees with the other comments including moving to the field to the north. Liz Renzello lives at 510 Homestead, Chubbuck, ID 83202. Renzello is deeply concerned with the children's safety if the tower were to fall. No proof it does not cause cancer and that is a concern. Kristen Jones lives at 755 Callie Street, Chubbuck, ID 83202. Jones opposes the location of the tower. Property value and safety is a concern. Why not use the existing towers in the city at the Fire Department or City Hall? No more public comments Anderson closed the Public Hearing. Anderson asked if Schutjer would like to address the questions: • Radio frequency: Federal Communication Commission strictly controls and enforces what the carriers do with their licenses frequencies. There are exposure limits that are set based on proximity to towers. The taller the tower the less exposure. Microwave, wireless routers, baby monitors puts off more energy in a closer proximity than a tower. • No lights of any kind will be on the tower. • Foundation is 5 feet around and 25 to 30 feet in the ground. • Has not seen a study for property value changes because of a cell tower. J: \Planning \LUDC \LAND USE SECRETARY \Minutes \Minutes 2014 \Land Use Minutes 9.9.14.docx 2 • The property line to the school building is closer to the field to the north than the proposed location. • Other towers in the area are not in optimal locations so adding to them is not the best option. Questions from commission: What is the square footage of the enclosure around the tower? Schutjer: 18'x 20' compound. Are the other sites in the city too close to the fairgrounds? Schutjer: Correct. There are so few opportunities to build sites in Eastern Idaho that when one is built the maximum benefit to the customers is necessary. Is there any consideration of additional antennas with other cell phone companies? Schutjer: The tower will be engineered to accommodate additional antennas. Those other antennas could benefit another company's customer. No marketing is involved. Where were the other alternative sites? Schutjer: Stuart Park and Hawthorne Veterinary Clinic. Does the FCC have to authorize the location? Schutjer: Yes. There are regulatory reports that new carriers have to do for new sites. An FAA study will be done. Those steps will start if this is approved. What is the height of a tower when lights are required? Schutjer: 200' What is the wind load on the tower? Schutjer: Base line is 110 mph. The engineer will take into effect Idaho winds and micro - bursts. Anderson brought the meeting back to the commission for comment or discussion, reminding them that the Conditional Use Permit is the Land Use Commission's decision. Eborn has worked in the electronics industry for 42 years, worried about radiation. The view is something we are going to have to get use to. Appears the safety issue has been addressed. Horner asked Bart Reed if the School District has researched enough to feel that the kids are safe. Reed: The school district has not necessarily researched it but the safety risk is relative low with the tower falling or the radiation. Cell towers have been engineered and researched for a number of years. Kinghorn commented that the slag from FMC was discontinued because there was radiation in it. Radiation is in the ground and asphalt. Wrist watches, microwave, cell phone, routers have radiation in them. Technology moves on. Buttars wondered how the decision to move forward was made by the school district. Reed: The school board will have to formally agree to the tower. They wanted to get a sense of the Land Use Commission and if they were agreeable to the application. If the commissioners approve the application the school board will also need to approve. The Land Use Commission decision would be discussed at a school board work session where the project would be reviewed again. The project would be added to the agenda of the School District's regular session and open to public comments. Andrus stated according to City code the first option is to co- locate and the second option is to have towers on public property. J: \Planning \LUDC \LAND USE SECRETARY \Minutes \Minutes 2014 \Land Use Minutes 9.9.14.docx Anderson entertained a motion to approve or deny. Kinghorn made a motion that the Conditional Use Permit for T- Mobile for this tower be approved as outlined. Stoddard seconded. Roll Call Vote: Stoddard, No; Buttars, No; Kinghorn, Yes; Eborn, Yes; Horner, No; Anderson, Yes. Voting is split 3 to 3. Buttars moved to table the motion until October 14 meeting. Horner seconded. Motion carries. Anderson explained no public hearing will be needed. In the October meeting it will be a general discussion item on the agenda with no public comments unless the commission decided to open the discussion to the public. GENERAL BUSINESS 1. Bobcat Properties, LLC PUD Final Plan review and approval. Rodney Burch, Dioptra, 4737 Afton Place, Chubbuck, ID 83202 is here representing the final PUD plan. Commission had asked to improve the public common space. Only difference in the Preliminary Plan and the Final Plan is the common area will have concrete where the picnic tables and trees are. Construction drawings have been submitted to the city for review. Anderson entertained a motion to approve the final PUD plan. Buttars made a motion for approval of the Final Plan Residential Infill PUD. Horner seconded. Motion carries. 2. Review the site plans for The Academy Charter School. Hal Jensen, Architect, 2365 South Fairway Drive, Pocatello, ID 83201, the preliminary site plan has been more developed to the south. The west section between Philbin Road and the car turn - around will be the storm -water retention basin. There will be another Swale developed between the future ball field and the back of the building. Construction documents will be ready in approx. 1 week. Holmes explained the annexation ordinance for the Academy will probably be approved at the next council meeting, September 17. 3. Discuss chapter 5, Transportation, and chapter 8, Recreation, in the Comprehensive Plan. Kinghorn made the motion to table until the next meeting. Eborn seconded. Motion carries. 4. November 11 is the second Tuesday of the month and is Veteran's Day. City offices are closed. Cancel or reschedule the Land Use meeting? Wednesday November 12 will be the meeting date. Anderson entertained a motion to adjourn; Kinghorn made the motion adjourn at 8:20 pm. Ran Ile Simmons, Secretary ed. All voted to J: \Planning \LUDC \LAND USE SECRETARY \Minutes \Minutes 2014 \Land Use Minutes 9.9.14.docx 4