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#21-06 - Establishing Valdez Municipal Code 17.50.080 Conditional Use Permits for Telecommunication Tower. Second Reading. Adoption.
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SUBMITTED BY: Planning Department, City Clerk, City Attorney
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Expenditure Required: N/A
Unencumbered Balance: N/A
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RECOMMENDATION:
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Approve Ordinance #21-06
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SUMMARY STATEMENT:
The Planning Department has been working with the City Clerk and legal team on a number of proposed ordinances to update various sections of Valdez Municipal code related to the operations of the Planning Department. The intention of these proposed modifications is to provide clarification for the public and streamline the permitting process for various land use related permits.
The attached draft ordinance, if approved, will establish a process for permitting telecommunication towers over 35 feet within the City of Valdez. Staff is proposing this ordinance to help clarify and bring alignment to current code provisions related to towers and allowable height.
Most zoning districts within the Valdez Municipal code restrict the height of structures to 35 feet. Exceptions include the heavy industrial zoning district, in which structure height is unrestricted and the light industrial district, in which a conditional use permit is required for structures over 35 feet in height. Additionally, VMC 17.48.050 includes some exceptions for structures attached to a building and buildings that include an approved fire suppression system. The city attorney has made the determination that the exemptions in VMC 17.48.050 do not apply to free standing tower structures.
Because free standing telecommunications towers are considered a structure and because the nature of providing such services sometimes requires the location of these structures outside of the heavy industrial zoning district, staff is proposing the attached draft ordinance to allow for the Planning & Zoning Commission to issues a conditio...
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