SITE PLAN REVIEW
SP-01-02-06: W. 6th Street Water Tower – Co-Location, a site plan for co-location of communication equipment on the City Water Tank and placement of an accessory building for ground mounted equipment located at 3708 W. 6th Street. Submitted by Lawrence Freenet. City of Lawrence; property owner of record.
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Current Zoning and Land Use: |
RS-1 (Single-Family Residence) District; existing water tower facility.
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Surrounding Zoning and Land Use: |
PCD-2 (Planned Commercial District) to the east and south; exiting development
RM-1 (Multiple-Family Residence) District to the west; existing homes.
RS-2 (Single-Family Residence) District to the north and northeast; existing homes. |
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Site Summary: |
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Gross Area: |
2.6 acre site |
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Tower Enclosure: |
75’ x 75’ fenced area with existing equipment building for one communication carrier. |
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Existing tower: |
140’ tower |
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Proposed construction |
Addition of antenna and placement of a 6’ by 8’ pre-constructed storage building 7’ high |
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Off-Street Parking Required: |
None |
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Previous Site Plan Approval: |
SP-09-60-03-building addition |
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Staff Recommendation: Planning staff recommends approval of the site plan subject to the following condition:
1. Execution of necessary agreements with the City. |
C. STAFF REVIEW
The subject property is located on the north side of W. 6th Street and is developed with Fire Station No. 3 and a City water tower. The tower includes current communication equipment and a ground mounted equipment building. The property is owned by the City of Lawrence and is developed with an existing 140’ water tower. Two potential locations for the Lawrence Freenet equipment are identified on the site plan. One option is to allow space within the tower base for communication equipment or placement of a freestanding equipment shelter in the northeast corner of the enclosure area. The applicant is investigating the use of space within the tower base with City Staff. If approved, the site plan will be revised pending the outcome of that investigation. There are no proposed changes to the parking or access to the site.
The proposed request represents one of a series of requests to co-locate on public properties. The Stratford water tower, W. 6th Street water tower, and City Hall sites provide a basic framework for the provision of internet data service to the community.
Section 20-1428 of the Zoning Regulations provides the criteria to evaluate the use as either a significant or minor alteration.
· The proposed change does include the provision of a small building or equipment cabinet if location within the tower base is not optional. [(a)The development results in the construction of a building, structure, or addition that increases the gross square footage of the existing development by more than ten percent (10%); provided, that separate incremental developments below the 10% amount shall not be used to avoid the requirements of Sections 20-1428:1435 if in the aggregate the developments over a period of 18 months would meet those requirements]
· The proposed equipment addition represents less than 10% of the total value of the property [(b)The estimated construction costs of the development exceeds ten percent (10%) of the most recent appraised fair market value of the existing property as determined by the County Appraiser, provided, that separate incremental developments below the 10% amount shall not be used to avoid the requirements of Sections 20-1428:1435 if in the aggregate the development over a period of 18 months would meet those requirements]
· No new parking areas are proposed that add impervious cover to the site that did not exist. [(c) The construction or paving of any parking lot or facility which covers ground previously not used as a parking lot or facility, or the construction or paving of any parking lot or facility which does not conform to City pavement standards pursuant to 20-1217].
· Section 20-1428 (3)(d) regarding the definition of a significant alteration states; “The alteration or intensification of any use which increases off-street parking requirements pursuant to Article 12 of this Chapter.” The proposed site plan is not an intensification of the use.
In staff’s opinion, the proposed changes satisfy the definition of a minor alteration. Section 20-1434 of the Zoning Codes allows for administrative approval of both minor and significant alterations to existing development in specific circumstances. Staff recommends administrative approval of the site plan for the proposed communication co-location subject to approval by the City.