SITE PLAN REVIEW

February 7, 2006

 

A.                 SUMMARY

 

SP-01-04-06: Stratford 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 1815 Stratford Road. Submitted by Lawrence Freenet. City of Lawrence; property owner of record.

 
B.        GENERAL INFORMATION

 

Current Zoning and Land Use:

RS-2 (Single-Family Residence) District; existing water tower facility.

 

Surrounding Zoning and Land Use:

RS-2 (Single-Family Residence) District in all directions; existing residential neighborhood.

 

Site Summary:

Gross Area:

2.33 acre site

Tower Enclosure:

109’ x 130’ fenced area with multiple carriers and equipment buildings.

Existing tower:

140’ tower

Proposed construction

Addition of antenna and placement of a 6’ by 8’ pre constructed storage building 7’ high

Off-Street Parking Required:

None

Previous Site Plan Approval:

SP-11-77-00 – New communication building

SP-12-89-02 – Co-location by Verizon Wireless

 

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 in the northwest corner of the Water Tower Park [northwest corner of Stratford and Sunset Drive]. The property is owned by the City of Lawrence and is developed with an existing 140’ water tower and multiple buildings for communication equipment already located at this site. Two potential locations for the Lawrence Freenet equipment are identified on the site plan. One option identified as “Site 1” is an existing building on the south side of the tower structure that was vacated when a new building was constructed several years ago for emergency communication equipment. The building is currently vacant.

 

The second location is an area in the northwest portion of the site that would accommodate the proposed 6’ by 8’ pre-constructed building.  The applicant is investigating the use of the existing structure (Site 1) 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 utilizing “site 1” does not include any alteration to the existing building footprint or size. If a 6’ by 8’ [48 SF] building is added to “site 3” the new structure will represent 7% of the total site development exclusive of the tower. [(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.