Council has amended its policy relating to the placement of cellphone towers, given an anticipated increase in the number of applications.
The city asked administration to review the Telecommunication Tower and Facility Siting policy, which was first passed in January of 2011. The policy spells out the process for allowing the installation of cellphone towers throughout the city. To date, only three applications have been received.
“This is an item council had flagged when the original policy was brought forward so we do have … some proposed amendments,” said Curtis Cundy, director of planning and development.
In its review, the city also consulted with Industry Canada and the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA). According to Vera Hoffman, who led council through the amendments to the policy, the CWTA commented that increasing demand for greater coverage will lead to more applications, which could lead to more residential pushback on tower installation.
“The increase and diversity in carriers might lead to more towers, which could lead to pushback,” Hoffman said. “Alternative technologies are available but more infrastructure is needed.”
That infrastructure includes sheds and cables, even for antennas that can be placed on street fixtures such as light posts. Technological advances will lead to smaller towers, but not in the immediate future, Hoffman advised. Industry Canada has also warned of potential pushback from residents and advised clarifying the roles of the city, Industry Canada and Health Canada.
Under the amended policy, the city will offer incentives such as eliminating public consultation requirements, for companies that want to install towers on city property or existing infrastructures. Agricultural lands have also been added as a preferred location.
The city has also amended the policy to deal with so-called third-party applications: companies that install towers and then lease the space to carriers but aren’t actually carriers themselves.
“We need to add definitions, they must adhere to all policies and ensure that no vacant tower is installed,” Hoffman said. Municipalities such as Calgary refuse applications for vacant towers and require third parties to prove that someone will actually be leasing the tower when installed.
The city will also start imposing one-year expiry dates on letters of support for new towers. Such letters will become void if the company submits a new application that is markedly different from its original application.
Setbacks in discouraged locations, or those close to a home, are also defined more specifically under the new policy, with the setback increasing as the height of the proposed tower increases. For example, towers 15 metres in height must be three times the height of the tower away from discouraged locations, but towers 45 to 55 metres in height must be 125 metres away. Anything in excess of 56 metres must be three times its height away from the discouraged location.
In all instances, carriers will be encouraged to locate new infrastructure in the same place as existing towers.
