A special use permit for an antenna system in the town’s right-of-way is barreling to passage after the Paradise Valley Planning Commission got its first look at the proposal.
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A special use permit for an antenna system in the town’s right-of-way is barreling to passage after the Paradise Valley Planning Commission got its first look at the proposal.
The Town Council approved a statement of direction on the project at its March 26 meeting, sending the project and SOD to the Planning Commission. At its April 7 meeting, the Planning Commission reviewed the proposal, deciding to forego a second study session and vote for recommendation at its May 5 meeting.
Tanya Friese, district real estate manager for small cell networks at Crown Castle, is working with the town on making the upgrades and obtaining the SUP.
“I’m looking forward to working with the town and making these upgrades that will allow one of our carrier customers to improve signal strength, signal penetration and improve network capacity of the existing network,” she said.
The proposal consists of a special use permit for distributed antenna system within the town’s right-of-way. Crown Castle, which has been operating in the town under a SUP since 2010, wants to upgrade its equipment at three locations.
Those sites include 7300 N. Tatum Blvd.; 6401 E. McDonald Drive; and 5395 N. Invergordon Road. Specifically, Crown Castle wants to relocate equipment and replace the faux rock screen with concrete pad and a new equipment cage, which will feature one solid panel and three mesh panels.
The first node improvement sits at the intersection of Tatum Boulevard and Clearwater Parkway. Crown Castle hopes to replace the faux rock and relocate equipment from the corner of the intersection to a cage behind an existing utility cabinets. There is no proposed landscaping.
The second node’s equipment will shift from the corner of Invergordon Road and McDonald Drive to further south down Invergordon. Plans call for an equipment cage as well as three creosote bushes.
The third node’s improvements call for replacement of the faux rock and relocation of the equipment from the corner of Invergordon and Jackrabbit roads to further south on Invergordon. Plans also call for a cage and three creosote bushes.
The commission’s discussion centered on the aesthetics of the project, particularly on the color of the boxes and ensuring the solid side faced the street.
As part of the SOD, the Town Council instructed the commission not to make aesthetic recommendations that would be “an obstacle to the applicant completing the project in a timely and efficient manner.” The SOD also directed the commission to review the equipment’s location and visual impact.
The commission’s suggestion for color of the cages was to use a rust finish instead of trying to match the nearby landscape.
“It would just have a more natural look rather than trying to pick the closest green we can find,” commissioner Daran Wastchak said. “We’ve got a lot of things in town that I was saying that were moving toward a rust finish so I was suggesting all three of them go with a rust finish.”
Commission chair Jonathan Wainwright concurred with Mr. Wastchak, saying he believes it would be the easiest option for the applicant as well.
The commission did not discuss or make suggestions on the other aspects of the SOD. Those aspects included ensuring the minimization of visual impact, noise and preserve views as well as potential impacts on neighbors.
With no plans for a future study session, the Planning Commission hopes to see an example of the mesh and finish Crown Castle will use for their cages. Ms. Friese assured commissioners she would have the materials available prior to the May 5 public hearing and vote.
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