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EUGENE CITY COUNCIL <br />AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY <br /> <br /> Work Session: Cell Tower Siting <br /> <br />Meeting Date: April 14, 2004 Agenda Item Number: B <br />Department: Planning and Development Staff Contact: Tom Coyle <br />www. cl. eugene, or. us Contact Telephone Number: 682-6077 <br /> <br />AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY <br />This item is a work session on the issues associated with cell tower siting. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br /> <br />Council Action History <br />Following adoption of the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, the City Council established a <br />Council Committee to work with staff and the City Attorney in developing a draft telecommunication <br />ordinance. That ordinance was reviewed by the Planning Commission and ultimately adopted by the <br />City Council on February 24, 1997. On October 14, 2002, the City Council held a work session on cell <br />towers to evaluate the status of the telecommunications ordinance and to determine whether further <br />amendments were warranted. Although the council directed staff to pursue amendments to the <br />ordinance, no additional funding was provided. <br /> <br />Policy Issues <br />The key policy issue for the City Council to consider is whether amendments to the Telecommunication <br />Ordinance are necessary and if so, whether this should be one of the top priority work program items, as <br />discussed at the council' s recent work session. Staff offers the following information for City Council <br />consideration: <br /> <br />Effectiveness of the Current Ordinance <br />As noted in the work session on October 14, 2002, the number of telecommunication applications has <br />continued to decrease. This is particularly true for new tower proposals, especially in more sensitive <br />areas. Of the requests made since the adoption of the ordinance, the vast majority of proposals have <br />been to co-locate facilities on existing towers or other structures. Of the new towers proposed, most <br />have been placed in areas of higher impact, such as the industrial zones. As of this date, no applications <br />have been processed for a tower within a residential zone. Such information helps validate the <br />effectiveness of the ordinance which emphasizes co-location of facilities and discourages placement of <br />towers in more sensitive areas of the city. <br /> <br />Balance of Community Concerns and Legal Constraints <br />When the original ordinance was drafted, substantial effort was given to minimizing community impacts <br />while meeting the legal mandates established in the Federal Communications Act. Since the adoption of <br /> <br /> L:\CMO\2004 Council Agendas\M040414\S040414B.doc <br /> <br /> <br />