The purpose of this article is to establish
general guidelines for the siting of wireless communications towers
and antennas. The goals of this article are to encourage the location
of towers in nonresidential areas, where possible; minimize the total
number of towers throughout the community; strongly encourage the
joint use of new and existing tower sites as a primary option rather
than construction of additional single-use towers; encourage users
of towers and antennas to locate them, to the extent possible, in
areas where the adverse impact on the community is minimal; encourage
users of towers and antennas to configure them in a way that minimizes
the adverse visual impact of the towers and antennas through careful
design, siting, landscape screening and innovative camouflaging techniques;
enhance the ability of the providers of telecommunications services
to provide such services to the community quickly, effectively and
efficiently; consider the public health and safety of communications
towers; avoid potential damage to adjacent properties from structural
failure of the tower through engineering and careful siting of tower
structures; and permit and manage reasonable access to the public
ways for telecommunications purposes on a competitively neutral basis.
In furtherance of these goals, the Borough of Glenolden shall give
due consideration to the Borough of Glenolden's Zoning Map, existing
land uses and environmentally sensitive areas in approving sites for
the locations of towers and antennas.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings set forth below:
ALTERNATIVE TOWER STRUCTURE
Man-made trees, clock towers, bell steeples, light poles
and similar alternative-design mounting structures that camouflage
or conceal the presence of antennas or towers.
ANTENNA
Any transmitting or receiving device mounted on a tower,
building or structure and used in communications that radiate or capture
electromagnetic waves, digital signals, analog signals, radio frequencies
(excluding radar signals), wireless telecommunications signals or
other communication signals.
BACKHAUL NETWORK
The lines that connect a provider's towers/cell sites to
one or more cellular telephone switching offices and/or long-distance
providers, or the public switches telephone network.
COUNCIL
The Council for the Borough of Glenolden.
FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration.
FCC
The Federal Communications Commission.
HEIGHT
When referring to a tower or other structure, the distance
measured from the finished grade of the parcel to the highest point
on the tower or other structure, including the base pad and any antenna.
PREEXISTING TOWERS AND PREEXISTING ANTENNAS
Any tower or antenna for which a building permit or special
use permit has been properly issued prior to the effective date of
this article, including permitted towers or antennas that have not
yet been constructed so long as such approval is current and not expired.
TOWER
Any structure that is designed and constructed primarily
for the purpose of supporting one or more antennas for telephone,
radio and similar communication purposes, including self-supporting
lattice towers, guyed towers or monopole towers. The term includes
radio and television transmission towers, microwave towers, common-carrier
towers, cellular telephone towers, alternative tower structures and
the like. The term includes the structure and any support thereto.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS OVERLAY DISTRICT (TO)
All that property owned, leased or otherwise controlled by
the Borough of Glenolden, including its rights-of-way, and including
the rights-of-way of state highways located in the Borough with the
permission or acquiescence of the state.
Any antenna or tower that is not operated for
a continuous period of 12 months shall be considered abandoned, and
the owner of such antenna or tower shall remove the same within 90
days of receipt of notice from the Council notifying the owner of
such abandonment. Failure to remove an abandoned antenna or tower
within said 90 days shall be grounds for the Borough to cause the
removal of the tower or antenna at the owner's expense. If there are
two or more users of a single tower, then this provision shall not
become effective until all users cease using the tower.