Wireless Facilities Under Regulation

Antennas and other wireless communication facilities, which had been governed by interim measures for more than a year, will now be regulated by a more permanent city ordinance.

The city had been working on the ordinance since 1996, when the deregulation of the communications industry sparked concerns that requests for antennas and unsightly structures would skyrocket and city officials would have little say over their placement.

Under the ordinance recently approved by the City Council, all such facilities are prohibited in residential areas, historic buildings and on prominent ridges. They must be at least 1,000 feet from one another. The ordinance also requires certain measures to mitigate the visual impacts of such structures.

Proposed communication facilities still will require approval on a case-by-case basis, however. Minor structures will be approved by the city planner, while major ones will come before a hearing by the city’s Planning Commission.