1. Location. Broadcast and relay towers are restricted to employment districts west of SR-16, north of a line extending east-west from 97th Street NW and south of the Swede Hill interchange.

2. Siting on Lot. Broadcast and relay towers reviewed under this section shall not be within required building setback areas unless it is demonstrated that locating the proposed facility within the required setback area will take advantage of an existing natural or artificial feature to conceal the facility or minimize its visual impacts in any required building setback areas.

3. Height and Size. The combined height of a broadcast and relay tower and antenna shall not exceed 85 feet except when colocation is specifically provided for; then the broadcast and relay tower shall not exceed 100 feet.

4. Color. To the extent technically feasible and in compliance with safety regulations, specific colors of paint may be required to allow the broadcast and relay tower to blend better with its setting.

5. Landscaping, Screening. Any fencing required for security shall meet screening codes in the same manner as applied to screening for mechanical and service areas.

6. Signs Prohibited. Broadcast and relay towers shall not be used for the purposes of signage to display a message of any kind.

7. Colocation. Placement of a broadcast and relay tower may be denied if an alternative placement of the antenna on a building or other existing structure can accommodate the communications needs. Applicants shall be required to provide documentation that reasonable efforts to identify alternative locations were made.

8. Future Colocation Accommodation. Owners and operators of a proposed broadcast and relay tower shall provide information regarding the opportunity for the colocation of other antenna and related equipment. If feasible, provision for future colocation may be required.

9. Federal Requirements. All towers and antennas must meet or exceed current standards and regulations of the FAA, the FCC, and any other agency of the federal government with the authority to regulate towers and antennas. If those standards and regulations are changed, then wireless service providers governed by this chapter shall bring their towers and antennas into compliance with the revised standards and regulations within three months of their effective date or the timelines provided by the revised standards and regulations, whichever is longer. The revised standards and regulations are not retroactively applicable to existing providers, unless otherwise provided by federal law. Failure to bring towers and antennas into compliance with the revised standards and regulations shall constitute grounds for the city to remove a provider’s facilities at the provider’s expense.

10. Building Codes, Safety Standards. To ensure the structural integrity of towers, antennas and facilities, the applicant/owner shall ensure that they are maintained in compliance with standards contained in the applicable city building codes and the applicable standards for towers published by the Electronic Industry Association (EIA), as amended from time to time. If, upon application for a building permit or inspection, the city concludes that a tower fails to comply with such codes and standards and constitutes a danger to persons or property, then upon notice being provided to the owner of the tower, the owner shall have 30 days to bring the tower into compliance with such standards. If the owner fails to bring the tower into compliance within 30 days, the city may remove the tower at the owner’s expense.

11. Structural Design. Towers shall be constructed to Electronic Industry Association standards, which may be amended from time to time, and to all applicable codes adopted by the city. Further, any improvements or additions to existing towers shall require submission of site plans stamped by a professional engineer which demonstrate compliance with EIA standards and all other applicable industry practices. The plans shall be submitted and reviewed at the time applications for building permits are submitted.

12. Abandonment, Disrepair. All broadcast and relay towers shall be removed by the facility owner within 12 months of the date they cease to be operational, or if the facility falls into disrepair and is not maintained. Disrepair includes structural features, paint, landscaping, or general lack of maintenance which could result in safety or visual impacts. (Ord. 1419 § 3, 2019; Ord. 771 § 12, 1997. Formerly 17.61.050).