The purpose of this article is to establish general guidelines
for the siting of wireless communications towers and antennas. In
furtherance of the goals listed below, the Township of Irvington shall
give due consideration to the adopted Township Master Plan, Zoning
Map, and existing land uses, in considering sites for the location
of towers and antennas. The goals of this article are to:
A. Protect residential areas and land uses from potential adverse impacts
of towers and antennas;
B. Encourage the location of towers in nonresidential areas;
C. Minimize the total number of towers throughout the community;
D. Strongly encourage the joint use of new and existing tower sites
as a primary option rather than construction of additional single-use
towers;
E. Encourage users of towers and antenna to locate them, to the extent
possible, in areas where the adverse impact on the community is minimal;
F. 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;
G. Enhance the ability of the providers of telecommunications services
to provide such services to the community quickly, effectively, and
efficiently;
H. Consider the public health and safety of communication towers; and
I. Avoid potential damage to adjacent properties from tower failure
through engineering and careful siting of tower structures.
All new telecommunications towers or antennas in the Township
of Irvington shall be subject to these regulations, with the exception
of the following:
A. Amateur radio station operators/receive-only antennas. This section
shall not govern any tower, or the installation of any antenna, that
is under 70 feet in height and is owned and operated by a federally
licensed amateur radio station operator or is used exclusively for
receive-only antennas.
B. Residential satellite dish antennas. This section shall not govern
any satellite dish antennas used for residential purposes.
C. AM array. For the purposes of implementing this section, an AM array,
consisting of one or more tower units and supporting ground system
which functions as one AM broadcasting antenna, shall be considered
one tower. Measurements for setbacks and separation distances shall
be measured from the outer perimeter of the towers included in the
AM array. Additional tower units may be added within the perimeter
of the AM array by right.
In addition to any information that would normally be required
in conjunction with a conditional use permit application, applicants
for a conditional use permit for a telecommunication tower or antenna
shall submit the following information:
A. A scaled site plan clearly indicating the location, type and height
of the proposed tower, on-site land uses and zoning, adjacent land
uses and zoning (including when adjacent to other municipalities),
Master Plan classification of the site and all properties within 200
feet of the site, adjacent roadways, proposed means of access, setbacks
from property lines, elevation drawings of the proposed tower and
any other structures, topography, parking, and other information deemed
by the Planning Board to be necessary to assess compliance with this
section.
B. Legal description of the entire tract and leased parcel (if applicable).
C. The setback distance between the proposed tower and the nearest residential
unit, platted residentially zoned properties, and unplatted residentially
zoned properties.
D. The separation distance from other towers described in the inventory of existing sites submitted pursuant to Article
XV, Wireless Telecommunication Towers and Antennas, shall be shown on an updated site plan or map. The applicant shall also identify the type of construction of the existing tower(s) and the owner/operator of the existing tower(s), if known.
E. A landscape plan showing specific landscape materials.
F. Method of fencing, and finished color and, if applicable, the method
of camouflage and illumination.
G. A description of compliance with all relevant provisions of this
article.
H. A notarized statement by the applicant as to whether construction
of the tower will accommodate collocation of additional antennas for
future users.
I. Identification of the entities providing the backhaul network for
the tower(s) described in the application and other cellular sites
owned or operated by the applicant in the Township.
J. A description of the suitability of the use of existing towers, other
structures or alternative technology not requiring the use of towers
or structures to provide the services to be provided through the use
of the proposed new tower.
K. A description of the feasible location(s) of future towers or antennas
within the Township of Irvington based upon existing physical, engineering,
technological or geographical limitations in the event the proposed
tower is erected.
L. A visual study depicting where, within a three-mile radius, any portion
of the proposed tower could be seen.
M. A statement of intent on whether excess space will be leased.
N. Any information of an engineering nature that the applicant submits,
whether civil, mechanical, or electrical, shall be certified by a
licensed professional engineer.