Morrisville Unified Development Ordinance - October 2019

Article 2: Administration Section 2.5. Application-Specific Review Procedures 2.5.25. Wireless Telecommunication Facilities

requirements, including, but not limited to, wind loading and ANSI EIA/TIA 222 standards, for the tower.

b. Telecommunication Tower Replacement or Mitigation (not involving collocation)

(1) General

(A) Tower replacement or mitigation (not involving collocation) shall accomplish a minimum of one of the following:

(i)

Reduce the number of towers.

(ii) Reduce the number of nonconforming towers.

(iii) Replace an existing tower with a new tower to improve network functionality resulting in compliance with this ordinance.

(B)

No tower shall be mitigated more than one time.

(2) Telecommunication Tower Design and Construction

Towers shall be engineered and constructed as follows:

(A) All towers up to 120 feet in height shall accommodate no less than three antenna arrays. (B) All towers between 120 feet one-inch and 140 feet shall accommodate no less than four antenna arrays. (C) All towers between 140 feet one-inch and 199 feet shall be engineered and constructed to accommodate at least five antenna arrays.

(3) Height

The height of a tower approved for replacement or mitigation shall not exceed one- hundred percent of the height of the tower being replaced or mitigated. For example, an existing 170 foot tower could be rebuilt at 170 feet.

(4) Breakpoint Technology

New replacement towers or towers used for mitigation shall be designed using breakpoint technology. Certification by a registered Professional Engineer licensed by the State of North Carolina of the breakpoint design and the design’s fall radius must be provided together with the other information required herein from an applicant.

(5) Setbacks

A new tower approved for replacement or mitigation of an existing tower shall not be required to meet new setback standards so long as the new tower and its equipment compound are no closer to any property lines or dwelling units as the tower and equipment compound being replaced or mitigated.

(6) Landscape Buffers

At the time of replacement or mitigation, the tower equipment compound shall be brought into compliance with Section 4.2.5.D.4.e(15), Landscape Buffers.

(7) Visibility

Replacement or mitigated towers shall be configured and located in a manner that minimizes adverse impacts on the landscape and adjacent properties, with specific design considerations as to height, scale, color, texture, and architectural design of the buildings on the same and adjacent lots, and consideration of those same factors for the replacement or mitigated tower in comparison to the tower being replaced or mitigated,

Morrisville, NC

October 1, 2019

Unified Development Ordinance

Page 2-87