Wireless Facilities Study
Background
In the modern world, wireless services--from cell phones to Wi-Fi hot spots--have become ubiquitous. They have brought increased safety and convenience to daily life, and created new avenues of entertainment. Newer and more advanced technologies debut every year, and consumer demand continues to grow.
But satisfying this demand will require an ever-larger supply of wireless infrastructure. Where will new antennas and towers go? What effect will they have on our communities? And how much ability will our local governments have to regulate them?
The PPC conducted a study of the technological and legal trends influencing the wireless facilities industry, with the goal of helping local governments prepare for the future. Technical assistance was provided by CityScape Consultants, Inc. Several major projects completed as part of the study are described below.
Note: Most documents offered for view or download below require the free program Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Note: Hard copies of the three-part publication Countywide Wireless Facilities Study: Technical Assistance Documents for Local Governments in Pinellas County, or of each individual document, are available upon request. Please contact lfisher@pinellasplanningcouncil.org for information.
Senate Bill 620, passed in the final days of the 2005 Florida legislative session and approved by Governor Bush on June 10, modified Section 365.172, Florida Statutes, which governs local government regulation of wireless facilities. The new law grants exemptions from local land development regulations to facilities meeting certain criteria. Based on an initial review by PPC staff, additions and clarifications to the model ordinance necessitated by the new legislation were listed and distributed to the local governments.
Whether or not the model ordinance is used, other changes in the legislation may also pertain to local wireless facilities regulation. Each local government is encouraged to review Senate Bill 620, to ensure that its adopted ordinance is in compliance with the new law.
For more information, please view or download the following:
• Summary of 2005 Legislative Changes Pertaining to the Model Ordinance • Text of Senate Bill 620
The PPC and CityScape have created a draft countywide model wireless facilities ordinance, which is designed to serve as a template for communities wishing to update and strengthen their current wireless regulations. It contains “best practice” development standards addressing issues such as setbacks, height, and compatibility with community character, which can be customized by each local government. It also includes approval processes designed to incent the types of wireless facilities considered most desirable by the community, such as stealth facilities or those on public land.
Three half-day public workshops were held on May 26 and 27, 2004, to discuss the draft ordinance. They were attended by approximately 35 people, including local government staff, elected officials, and representatives from the wireless industry. There was a high level of audience participation at all three workshops, and the participants' insights were both informative and beneficial.
The document was finalized and brought back to the Council in March 2005 for their approval and authorization to distribute to the local governments. It was distributed in conjunction with the model lease and enhanced facilities tracking system report, in a three-part publication entitled Countywide Wireless Facilities Study: Technical Assistance Documents for Local Governments in Pinellas County.
Local governments are encouraged to review information regarding Senate Bill 620 in conjunction with this document.
For more information, please view or download the following:
• Countywide Model Wireless Telecommunications Ordinance (March 2005)
This project is designed to assist local governments who may be interested in leasing public lands or facilities to wireless service providers, in order to generate public revenue. To assist in this process, PPC staff and CityScape have produced a draft model lease, an executive summary, and a description of the leasing process. The documents cover three different leasing scenarios and include a recommended pricing matrix.
Following a review by the Planners Advisory Committee, the drafts were presented to the Council for their review and preliminary acceptance at the September 2004 meeting. Additional comments from local governments and interested members of the public were accepted and incorporated. The document was finalized and brought back to the Council in March 2005 for their approval and authorization to distribute to the local governments. It was distributed in conjunction with the model ordinance and enhanced facilities tracking system report, in a three-part publication entitled Countywide Wireless Facilities Study: Technical Assistance Documents for Local Governments in Pinellas County.
For more information, please view or download the following:
• Countywide Model Lease for Wireless Telecommunications Installations (March 2005) Bound copies of this document are also available upon request. Please contact lfisher@pinellasplaningcouncil.org for information.
For this project, the consultant worked with PPC and county staff to analyze current tracking of wireless facilities, and recommend improvements to make the database more accurate, comprehensive, user-friendly, and accessible. A more accurate database will allow local governments to determine colocation options before granting approval for new towers, predict areas where future demand is most likely to occur, and more effectively market public real estate assets.
The document was finalized and brought back to the Council in March 2005 for their approval and authorization to distribute to the local governments. It was distributed in conjunction with the model lease and model ordinance, in a three-part publication entitled Countywide Wireless Facilities Study: Technical Assistance Documents for Local Governments in Pinellas County.
For more information, please view or download the following:
• Developing an Enhanced Wireless Facilities Tracking System for Pinellas County (March 2005)
To assist in the creation of a model wireless facilities ordinance, local government staff were asked to complete a checklist of their existing zoning regulations. In addition to collecting information to be used in the model ordinance, the checklist was designed to help local government staff determine for themselves where regulatory deficiencies exist.
The checklist was distributed during a special meeting of the Planners Advisory Committee, during which the consultants gave an explanatory presentation, in November 2003. Representatives of all twenty-five local governments were invited to attend.
For more information, please view or download the following:
• Slideshow Presentation to the Planners Advisory Committee by CityScape Consultants, Inc., November 2003 • Wireless Facilities Zoning Audit Checklist, November 2003
As a follow-up to the March 2003 technical workshop (see below), the PPC surveyed local governments to determine their level of support for further countywide wireless facilities initiatives.
The survey results showed that, while most local governments saw their wireless facility administrative processes as generally adequate, there was a desire to improve them. Support was expressed for three countywide follow-up projects: creation of a model ordinance, enhancement of facilities tracking, and assistance with revenue generation.
For more information, please view or download the following:
In response to interest generated by the September 2002 report, the PPC sponsored a technical workshop for local governments in March 2003. Held at the Harborview Center in downtown Clearwater, the half-day-long event attracted more than forty local government planners, building officials, planning and zoning board members, legal professionals, and elected officials, along with industry representatives and other interested citizens. The information was presented by CityScape Consultants and STEALTH Concealment Solutions, Inc.
The overall reaction to the workshop was positive; many local government representatives commented that they had gained useful information or had been given ideas for new planning strategies. An executive summary of the workshop findings was subsequently presented to the Council.
For more information, please view or download the following:
The PPC work program for FY 2001-2002 included a comprehensive study of wireless communications facilities in Pinellas County. Its goals were to compare the county's twenty-two local ordinances, determine how well facilities were being tracked and regulated, examine changing technologies and trends, survey case law to determine potential legal pitfalls, recommend any needed changes to local regulations, and explore opportunities to increase public revenues.
In September 2002, PPC staff presented a report on these issues, titled Wireless Facilities: Planning for the Next Generation of Technology, to the Council. The findings included a number of potential follow-up options for addressing identified issues. The Council approved the recommended option, a countywide technical workshop.
For more information, please view or download the following:
