PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
Thursday, September 11, 2003 7:00 p.m.
Public Safety Building
3925 W Cedar Hills Drive, Cedar Hills, Utah
Present: John Swenson, Chair
Commission Members: Carl Volden, Alan Petersen
Absent: Randy Hugie, Brendon Dayton, Steve Kroes
Konrad Hildebrandt, City Manager
Rodney Despain, City Planner
Gretchen Gordon, Deputy City Recorder
Others: Joe Petersen, Joey Petersen, John Hansen, Phil Thunborg, Michael Davis (7:10 p.m.), Mark Richardson (7:20 p.m.), Eric Richardson (7:20 p.m.)
1. This meeting of the Planning Commission of the City of Cedar Hills, having been posted throughout the City and the press notified, was called to order at 7:00 p.m.
At the next meeting, the Planning Commission will need to appoint a vice-chair.
2. Approval of the Minutes from the August 14, 2003, Regular Planning Commission Meeting (7:05 p.m.)
MOTION: C. Petersen - To approve the minutes of the August 14, 2003, meeting, as corrected. Seconded by C. Volden.
Aye - C. Swenson
C. Volden
C. Petersen Motion passes.
3. Review/Recommendation on Proposed Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance Regarding Amateur Radio Antenna Structures (7:10 p.m.)
See handouts. A committee was formed to review this issue. The committee consisted of the Building Official Brad Kearl, Commission member Alan Petersen, City Manager Konrad Hildebrandt, Phil Thunborg, and Terry Sparks. This committee discussed and reviewed a variety of issues and options. The recommendation of the staff would be to approve the provisions included on the memo from September 5, 2003. The City does recognize the value of having these radio operators within the community during emergencies. The committee attempted to include the provisions that were discussed in House Bill 79 as well as PRV-1 to define “reasonable.” A letter was also submitted by Mr. John Hansen who has been very involved in providing information that he they would like to see included in an amendment.
C. Petersen wanted to know where the amendment would be included in the existing ordinance. Rodney Despain suggested that this be included in a separate supplementary provision in the Zoning Ordinance.
Discussion Items:
• Clarification on height relative to grade.
• Review of comparison of the current zones and their allowed building heights, etc.
• Mr. Hansen suggested approving a 75-foot tower and not making a distinction between tower, antenna arrays, etc. He suggested that there may be additional legislation that may require an amendment in the future if this is not addressed this right now. Most towers are 72' or 75'. He stated that the FCC is currently the only entity that regulates how and when the towers are used, so he would like to see the provision about time limitations removed from the amendment proposal.
• Review of the antenna arrays; these are typically about 32' wide with 15 elements. These arrays do not collapse when the tower is cranked down. The size of the antennas is created by the frequencies that are used.
• The issue of “reasonableness” is balancing the rights of the antenna owner with that of the neighbor.
MOTION: C. Petersen - To recommend adoption of Subsection C-4-21 Amateur Radio Antenna to read as follows: The City of Cedar Hills recognizes the need for and service of amateur radio operators to our society. To ensure that they can provide the emergency services to our society, these operators must be allowed to install adequate antennas for their hobby. The City of Cedar Hills will allow the following: 1) An FCC licensed Amateur Radio Operator may erect within the building envelope of his property, an amateur radio antenna meeting the building height requirements of the zone for the property. 2) The licensed operator may, if desired, erect a self-standing crank-up antenna. During operations, this antenna may be extended to a height not to exceed eighty (80) feet above the finished grade of the dwelling. During non-operational periods, the antenna shall be lowered to the building height identified in the requirements of the zone in which the property is located. 3) The antenna array may not be allowed to extend beyond the boundaries of the property on which it is located. 4) Any antenna constructed must be designed to the same wind load standards as the dwellings on the property. Additionally, that a definition in Section 2-3 be included for “Amateur Radio Antenna.” That definition reads as follows: Any structure and appurtenances built outside the main building of a residential lot to enable an FCC licensed Amateur Radio Operator to broadcast and receive radio messages. Seconded by C. Swenson.
Mr. Hansen felt that this amendment was acceptable and would accommodate the legal basis for HAM operators. C. Volden would like to see the provision of “self-supporting” to be included.
AMEND MOTION: C. Volden - To include Item 5) Only self-supporting towers are allowed, including rooftop towers. “Self-supporting” means the tower does not require or use any guy wires for support. Accepted and seconded by C. Petersen.
Tower height and antenna height are different. The Planning Commission felt that the definition in the motion was clear.
Aye - C. Swenson
C. Volden
C. Petersen
4. Committee Assignments and Reports (8:07 p.m.)
C. Volden - Currently working on compiling information on the sign ordinance, but has nothing to report at this time.
C. Petersen - Issues regarding clarification on decks. This will be put together for a future meeting.
5. This meeting was adjourned at 8:08 p.m. on a motion by C. Petersen, seconded by C. Swenson and unanimously approved.
/s/ Kim E. Holindrake
Approved by Commission: Kim E. Holindrake, City Recorder
October 16, 2003