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Sprint PCS-CS000217 CITY OF COPPELL PLANNING DEPARTMENT STAFF REPORT CASE NO.: S-1173, Sorint PCS Antenna P & Z HEARING DATE: February 17, 2000 (Originally heard January 204; continued to February 17th) C.C. HEARING DATE: Mm'eh 14, 2000 LOCATION: Coppell Middle School West Campus, 1301 Wrangler Road. SIZE OF AREA: Coppell Middle School Campus: 51.8 acres Lease Area: 0.028 acres or 1,200 square feet CURRENT ZONING: C (Commercial) REQUEST: C-S.U.P. (Commercial, Special Use Permit). APPLICANT: Sprint PCS Representative: 1341 W. Mockingbird Lane, Ste. 500 Zone Systems, Inc. Dallas, TX 75147 1620 Handley Drive, Ste. A (214) 5254044 Dallas, TX 75208 FAX: (214) 5254134 (214) 941-4440 FAX: (214) 941-5259 HISTORY: No zoning history. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the final plat on October 19, 1995. TRANSPORTAIlON: Wrangler Road is a C4U, four-lane undivided thoroughfare in 60 feet of fight-of-way. SURROUNDING LAND USE & ZONING: North- Park West Commerce Industrial Park; "LI" Light Industrial South - vacant; "A" Agriculture East - Nikor Commerce Center; "LI" Light Industrial West - vacant; "LI" Light Industrial Item# 7 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: The Comprehensive Plan shows the property as suitable for freeway office uses. DISCUSSION: [Bold text pertains to staff discussion for the February 17, 2000 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. Unbold text was the staff discussion that was presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission on January 20, 2000.] The applicant is proposing to build a 65'-high monopole to accommodate the Sprint PCS antennas and the Coppell Independent School District's two way radio antennas. Sprint PCS is proposing to lease about 1,200 square feet of land located 30' west of the southeast comer of the Middle School West Campus. The site is immediately southeast of youth baseball and softball fields. The proposed tower site is also situated approximately 2,200' west of Beltline Road and 2,900' north of LBJ Freeway. These distances exceed the minimum suggested distances from divided thoroughfares indicated in the zoning ordinance. Parallel to the ball fields is a 38'-wide asphalt access easement that would serve as a temporary fire lane provided the fire lane is constructed of asphalt capable of supporting a 40,000lb. load. If any additional buildings are added at a later date, a full 24'-wide concrete fire lane will be required by the Fire Department. This new tower is proposed to be located in a commercial district. The property around the site is zoned "LI" Light Industrial and "A" Agriculture. From a land use perspective, the tower is situated in an appropriate location. However, the zoning ordinance also encourages use of existing towers as opposed to constructing new towers. Also, it encourages minimizing the total number of towers throughout the community, as well as promoting co-location, careful design, siting, landscape screening and innovative camouflaging techniques. There are 13 light fixtures ranging in height between 50' and 60' located approximately 300' to 800' from the proposed antenna site. Staff had requested that the applicant consider an existing ball field light fixture for the antenna support structure. According to the applicant, the light fixtures serving the ball fields will not be there for the long term. The ball fields and light fixtures are there until the school district needs the property for other uses. Therefore, the applicant is requesting the construction of a 65'-high monopole and the placement of 4 metal metro- cell unit cabinets totaling 36.5 square feet at the base of the structure. Staff requests the exterior color of the cabinets be indicated on the exhibits. Also, the plans indicate an 8' high chain link fence topped with 3 strands of barbed wire. Staff would prefer a green vinyl coated chain link fence with no barbed wire. This is the first request for placement of a barbed wire around the equipment cabinets and staff questions the need for orle. Item # 7 According to staffs research, the light fixtures at the fourplex youth baseball field (field #$) belong to the City. There are no plans to move baseball field #5 nor fields #6 and #7 (immediately east of the fourplex baseball field). Planning staff can not support construction of a new high monopole when there are 13 light fixtures ranging in height between 50' to 60' located in the vicinity. We encourage minimizing the adverse visual impacts of towers. Assuming that Fields 5, 6, and 7 are to remain, staff would encourage the applicant to study the possibility of locating the antennas on the light fixture between fields 6 and 7 and placing the equipment cabinets at the south side of the 38-wide asphalt easement between the edge of pavement and the southern property line. This will require the applicant to run a cable underground across the 38'-wide access easement for an approximate distance of 290'. The location of the cabinets would be less visible fxom the fields, and would not interfere with the pedestrian activity around the fields. This option would not involve extending the length of the access easement that the applicant is required to do with this request. In either case, the access road would require substantial improvement which the applicant recognizes. Applicant informed staff during the February 3, 2000 Development Review Committee that the CISD will only entertain leasing to Sprint PCS the 1,200 square feet of land at the southeast corner of the Coppell Middle School West campus. The School District conveyed to Sprint that they would not commit to any ballfield structures due to the lack of permanency of those fixtures. However, on January 25, 2000 the City Council approved an inter-local cooperation agreement between the City and CISD regarding joint use of property, construction and usage of facilities which included the Coppell Middle School West baseball complex and tennis facility. The term of the agreement is for 40 years and thereafter will be automatically renewed from year to year unless either party terminates the contract sooner. The termination clause of the agreement states that any party may terminate the agreement by giving 2 years prior written notice of the date of termination to the other party. Therefore, barring any unforeseeable termination of the agreement, staff is of the opinion that the light fixtures at the baseball complex are rather permanent structures. Staff position remains firm that we can not support the construction of a new 65'-high monopole. The ordinance clearly encourages minimizing the total number of towers throughout the community and it strongly encourages the joint use of existing towers as the primary option rather than construction of additional towers. In essence, the goals of the ordinance are to minimize the adverse visual impacts of towers. Item # 7 RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION: Staff recommends denial of this request because we can not support construction of the 65'-tall monopole at the southeast corner of the Coppell Middle School West campus when there are 13 light fixtures ranging in height between 50' to 60' located in close proximity. The ordinance strongly encourages collocation, as well as minimizing the total number of towers throughout the community. Staffcould only recommend approval of the special use permit subject to the following conditions being met: 1) Relocation of the antenna site to the existing light structure between Fields # 6 and #7 with placement of the cabinets on the south side of the asphalt access easement. 2) A full 24' fire lane is required to this site. A temporary fire lane will be acceptable provided that the fire lane is constructed of asphalt capable of supporting a 40,000-Ih. load. If the antenna and structures are moved to another location as requested by the Planning staff, a fire lane shall be within 150 feet of the structures, unless otherwise approved by the Fire Marshall. If any additional buildings are added at a later date, a full 24' concrete fire lane will be required. (See Fire Department comments) 3) Provide a legal description. 4) Adjust the Landscape Plan to indicate a green vinyl coated chain link fence with no barbed wire. 5) Submission and approval of a color board showing all exterior building materials. 6) Submission of irrigation plan. 7) The location of the equipment compound would need to be carefully coordinated with the Leisure Services department should the applicant choose to locate on certain of the existing ball field light poles. (See Leisure Service Department comments.) ALTERNATIVES: 1) Recommend approval of the request. 2) Recommend disapproval of the request 3) Recommend modification of the request 4) Take under advisement for reconsideration at a later date. ATTACHMENTS: 1) Vicinity Map 2) Parent Tract & Access Easement Detail 3) Tower Elevation Drawing 4) Parent Tract & Access Easement Detail 5) Landscape Plan 6) Departmental Comments Item # 7 Round Black dots are Sprint PCS Sites ~ --' .-#..; . ,,,,~..~. ,...,. ?~ ~ .~ ..__.... ~. ~, ~ · _ ,.'-~_-._ ,.~. · ." ~-'-;-_ ~ I ~ ,'""- 'x~_'5,..'~'--;'1~ "'-" ':~ --?~'.' ";.?- ~ '"'~.~.. -'- P O '~' "-1 ' ,~ u v -~... ~. ~ .... ~~, ~-~ - " ':' :" " ~ I~ - ~-J D ¢ ~. ,_.,, - ~,~ .LAS ,, ,. G '~ '"' p(,,.._ ,~ :!-~- f...:~ \~ · - , - , V -;;.... ".-,: . :'.-. '- . .~.- K ~ -- ' ~..~=_-~,._ . ~,; ,~ --- . .---,,- .... '". ~ ~ .