§ 154-195. Design standards.

A. 

New towers and facilities.

(1) 

New telecommunications towers shall not be located closer than 1,000 feet to a residential property line. All antennas located on existing buildings or structures, including towers, are exempt from this requirement.

(2) 

A fall zone shall be established such that the tower is setback 150% of the height of the tower from any adjoining lot line or non-appurtenant building.

(3) 

Towers shall be enclosed by security fencing of ornamental design with a total fence height not to exceed eight feet, in accordance with § 154-142C. If applicable, fencing camouflage should be provided.

(4) 

Towers shall also be equipped with appropriate anticlimbing measures or devices.

B. 

Co-location.

(1) 

The Township of Mount Laurel requires that licensed carriers share personal wireless service facilities and sites where feasible and appropriate, thereby reducing the number of personal wireless service facilities that are stand-alone facilities. All applicants for site plan approval for a personal wireless service facility shall demonstrate a good faith effort to co-locate with other carriers. Such good faith effort includes:

(a) 

A survey of all existing structures that may be feasible sites for co-locating personal wireless service facilities;

(b) 

Sharing information necessary to determine if co-location is feasible under the design configuration most accommodating to co-location; and

(c) 

A copy of a proposed lease or affidavit of compliance with this section.

(d) 

Fees. The application for a zoning permit for co-location of a cellular antenna or equipment relating to cell tower co-location must be accompanied by the required fee. Building permit fees shall be set by the Township's Construction Office.

(2) 

Tower structures shall be designed to allow sufficient room for cables, antennas and equipment of future co-locators and to support the anticipated weight and wind load of their future additional facilities. Space for ground-level maintenance, equipment shelters, and switching facilities shall be reserved for future co-locators to the extent practical.

(3) 

The tower structure shall be designed to allow antenna attachment and independent maintenance at various heights.

(4) 

If any modifications (such as lease, structure, ground space) are required for an existing structure, the provider shall attempt, at the time such modification is made, to make the site and structure suitable for co-location, both within the existing lease and otherwise.

(5) 

In the event that co-location is found to be not technically feasible, a written statement of the reasons for the unfeasibility shall be submitted to the Township. The Township may retain a technical expert in the field of RF engineering to verify if co-location is feasible. The cost for such a technical expert will be at the expense of the applicant. The Township may deny approval to an applicant that has not demonstrated best efforts to provide for co-location.

(6) 

If the applicant does intend to co-locate or to permit co-location, plans and elevations, which show the ultimate appearance and operation of the personal wireless service facility at full build-out shall be submitted.

(7) 

Co-location shall be provided at fair market value rental rates. These rates shall take into account rates in comparable leases for similar sites and any site development costs incurred by the structure owner/operator during the site design, approvals, construction and maintenance stages for the site in question.

C. 

Landscape and buffer requirements.

(1) 

Every structure shall be landscaped with a buffer of at least 50 feet in width with plantings, fence, or other physical divider along the outside of the perimeter sufficient to impede the view of the interior of the premises in which the wireless telecommunications towers and facilities is located.

(2) 

The standard buffer shall consist of a landscaping surrounding the outside perimeter of the compound with evergreen trees at least eight feet high at time of planting and planted in staggered double alternating rows, 10 feet on center. (These plantings must be located outside the proposed fencing for the site; therefore, care should be taken during the leasing stages for the tower site to allocate and include these additional lands for such plantings.)

(3) 

An additional buffer zone shall be provided of at least 15 feet wide to separate telecommunications tower facilities from a residential zone or residential use. Additional buffering will include a densely planted buffer of evergreen trees in accordance with § 154-68 and at least eight feet high at the time of planting.

(4) 

A planting "pyramid" plan may be required to assist in the effective screening of the tower itself. This planting "pyramid" should be located to screen view-sheds from neighboring sites and should include the planting of tall growing trees surrounding the site and spreading out over the site in clusters. Those clusters should be strategically located in areas determined by the Board's professionals to be overly impacted by the sight of the proposed tower.

(5) 

Existing mature tree growth and natural land forms on the site shall be preserved to the maximum extent possible.

D. 

Lighting. No lighting shall be permitted except the following, which shall be subject to review and approval by the Planning Board as part of the site plan application:

(1) 

The building enclosing electronic equipment may have one light at the entrance to the building, provided that the light is attached to the building, is focused downward and is switched so that the light is turned on only when authorized personnel are at the building; and

(2) 

No lighting is permitted on a tower except lighting that specifically is required by the FAA, and any such required lighting shall be focused and shielded to the greatest extent possible so as not to project towards adjacent and nearby properties.

E. 

Signs. Signage shall not detract from the appearance and character of the surrounding neighborhood. No signs shall be permitted except those required by the Federal Communications Commission, the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) and/or the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) or by law, such as equipment information signs and warning signs providing notice that the premises are off limits.