Morrisville Unified Development Ordinance - February 2021

Article 4: Use Standards Section 4.2. Principal Uses 4.2.5. Principal Use-Specific Standards

(ii) The balloon shall be flown for at least four (4) consecutive hours during daylight hours on the date chosen. The applicant shall record the weather during the balloon test.

(14) Site Grading

Grading shall be minimized and limited to the development area necessary for the new tower, equipment compound, and any applicable access drive.

(15) Landscape Buffers

Landscaping shall be provided within a minimum 10 foot wide buffer around the perimeter of the equipment compound. The following planting standards shall apply:

(A) All plants and trees shall be indigenous to this part of North Carolina.

(B) Existing trees and shrubs on the site should be preserved and may be used in lieu of required landscaping as approved by the Planning Department. (C) One continuous row of evergreen trees surrounding the compound area, excluding the entry gate. The evergreen trees shall be a minimum 2.5 inch caliper, and 10 feet in height at the time of planting, and spaced 25 feet on center. (D) One continuous row of evergreen shrubs capable of creating a continuous hedge surrounding the compound area, excluding the entry gate. The evergreen shrubs shall be a minimum 3 gallon or 24 inches tall at the time of planting, and spaced 5 feet on center. (E) Alternative landscaping plans may be considered and approved by the Planning Department, provided the proposed alternative proposes an equivalent opacity and density of landscape screening as provided above, and is otherwise consistent with the requirements of this section. (F) Generators within the compound area shall be screened with an opaque row of evergreen landscaping planted outside the compound area to screen the generator from the view from nearby streets, sidewalks, greenways and residential areas. The evergreen landscaping shall screen both the height and width of the generator. Existing vegetation may be used to satisfy the generator screening requirement. DAS Nodes may be mounted onto a building, support structure, utility distribution pole, transmission tower structure or other similar structure, which is not primarily constructed for holding antennas but on which one or more antennas may be mounted. DAS Nodes shall be subject to the following: (1) The top of the DAS Node antennas shall not exceed 10 feet above the building roofline, above the top of the support structure, utility distribution pole or transmission tower structure or other similar structure. (2) The applicant shall provide documentation verifying that the installation of the DAS Node equipment will not compromise the structural integrity of the building, support structure, utility distribution pole, transmission tower or other similar structure. (3) If DAS Node equipment is installed on a utility distribution pole or transmission tower, the applicant shall provide documentation verifying that the DAS Node equipment will not interfere, or be interfered with, by the normal operating characteristics of the utility distribution pole or transmission tower.

(Ord. No. 2016-001, 05/10/2016)

f. Distributed Antenna System (DAS) Nodes

Morrisville, NC

February 1, 2021

Unified Development Ordinance

Page 4-22