[Added 11-22-2016 by Ord. No. 769]
Communication antennas, towers, and equipment shall be permitted by special exception within the rights-of-way of public or private streets only within the Highway Commercial Zone (HC), Light Industrial Zone (LI) and Heavy Industrial Zone (HI), and only if the communications tower, antenna, and equipment meet all of the following requirements:
A. Towers and equipment prohibited in areas served by underground utilities. No communications antennas, towers or equipment shall be installed within a public street right-of-way or a private street right-of-way where utility facilities serving lots abutting such street are located underground. Communications antennas, towers, and equipment shall be installed only within rights-of-way of streets where there are utility poles and overhead wires existing on November 22, 2016.
B. Co-location. An application for a new communications tower in a street right-of way shall not be approved unless the Borough finds that the proposed wireless communications equipment cannot be accommodated on an existing structure, such as a utility pole or traffic light pole. Any application for approval of a communications tower shall include a comprehensive inventory of all existing towers and other suitable structures within a one-mile radius from the point of the proposed tower, unless the applicant can show to the satisfaction of the Borough that a different distance is more reasonable, and shall demonstrate conclusively why an existing tower or other suitable structure cannot be utilized.
C. Time, place and manner. The Borough shall determine the time, place and manner of construction, maintenance, repair and/or removal of all communications towers in the public street right-of-way based on public safety, traffic management, physical burden on the public street right-of-way, and related considerations. For public utilities, the time, place and manner requirements shall be consistent with the police powers of the Borough and the requirements of the Public Utility Code.
D. Equipment location. Communications towers and accessory equipment shall be located so as not to cause any physical or visual obstruction to pedestrian or vehicular traffic or to otherwise create safety hazards to pedestrians and/or motorists or to otherwise inconvenience public use of the public street right-of-way as determined by the Borough. In addition:
(1) In no case shall ground-mounted equipment, walls, or landscaping be located within 18 inches of the face of the curb.
(2) Ground-mounted equipment that cannot be installed underground shall be screened, to the fullest extent possible, through the use of landscaping or other decorative features to the satisfaction of the Borough.
(3) All required electrical meter cabinets shall be screened to blend in with the surrounding area to the satisfaction of the Borough.
(4) Any graffiti on the tower or on any accessory equipment shall be removed at the sole expense of the owner within 30 business days of notice of the existence of the graffiti.
(5) Any underground vaults related to communications towers shall be reviewed and approved by the Borough.
E. Design regulations.
(1) The communications antennas and communications tower shall employ the most current stealth technology available in an effort to appropriately blend into the surrounding environment and minimize aesthetic impact. The application of the stealth technology chosen by the applicant shall be subject to the approval of the Borough.
(2) Any substantial change to an existing communications tower shall require prior approval of the Borough.
(3) Any proposed communications tower shall be designed structurally, electrically, and in all respects to accommodate both the applicant's antennas and comparable antennas of future users, including antenna for public safety needs by emergency responders.
(4) The height of any communications tower shall not exceed 40 feet. Any height extension to an existing communications tower shall require an additional special exception. Guy wires are not permitted. Any communications tower shall be self-supporting.
F. Additional antennas. The applicant shall allow and encourage other service providers to co-locate antennas on communications towers where technically and economically feasible. The owner of a communications tower shall not install any additional antennas without obtaining the prior written approval of the Borough.
G. Relocation or removal of facilities. Within 60 days following written notice from the Borough, or such longer period as the Borough determines is reasonably necessary or such shorter period in the case of an emergency, an owner of a communications tower and/or equipment in the public street right-of-way shall, at its own expense, temporarily or permanently remove, relocate, change or alter the position of any communications tower and/or equipment when the Borough, consistent with its police powers and applicable Public Utility Commission regulations, shall determine that such removal, relocation, change or alteration is reasonably necessary under the following circumstances:
(1) The construction, repair, maintenance or installation of any Borough or other public improvement in the right-of-way.
(2) The operations of the Borough or other governmental entity in the right-of-way.
(3) Vacation of a street or road or the release of a utility easement.
(4) An emergency as determined by the Borough.
H. Compensation for public street right-of-way use. Every communications tower and/or communications equipment in the public street right-of-way is subject to the Borough's right to fix annually a fair and reasonable compensation to be paid for use and occupancy of the public street right-of-way. Such compensation for public street right-of-way use shall be directly related to the Borough's actual public street right-of-way management costs including, but not limited to, the costs of the administration and performance of all reviewing, inspecting, permitting, supervising and other public street right-of-way management activities by the Borough. The owner of each communications tower and/or communications equipment shall pay an annual fee to the Borough to compensate the Borough for the Borough's costs incurred in connection with the activities described above. The annual public street right-of-way management fee for communications towers and/or communications equipment shall be determined by the Borough and authorized by resolution of Borough Council and shall be based on the Borough's actual public street right-of-way management costs as applied to such communications tower and/or communications equipment.
I. The owner and/or lessee of any communication antennas, towers, and equipment located within a public street right-of-way shall be required to provide a certificate of insurance to the Borough providing evidence of liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000 and naming the Township as an additional insured on the policy or policies of the owner and/or lessee.