4.4.A General Standards | Sedona Land Development Code

A. General Standards

All wireless communication facilities regulated under this article shall meet the following general development and design standards and processes at a minimum:

a. For the purposes of impact fee calculation, the floor area for a wireless communication facility shall be considered a commercial use and shall include the total square footage of all equipment enclosures and the areas of the antenna-supporting structure foundation at or above grade.

b. The following shall be considered as development area and shall be required to meet the setbacks and open space ratio requirements for the land use district where they are located:

1. The area beneath all equipment enclosures;

2. The area of the antenna-supporting structure foundation at or above grade;

3. The area beneath ancillary structures;

4. The area inside the antenna-supporting structure framework.

Identification signage for each wireless communication facility shall be required for the purpose of identifying the owner as well as the tenants, responsible party for the operation and maintenance of the facility, its current address and telephone number, ASR registration number, site name, security or safety signs and property manager information (if applicable). Identification signage on wireless communication facilities shall not exceed four square feet.

If more than 220 voltage is necessary for the operation of the facility and is present in a ground grid or in the structure, signs located every 20 feet and attached to an enclosing fence or wall shall display in large, bold, high contrast letters (minimum height of each letter: four inches) the following: “HIGH VOLTAGE – DANGER.”

No unusual sound emissions such as alarms, bells, buzzers or the like are permitted and shall be consistent with City Code. Sounds shall not exceed 65 dba at any exterior line of a property in a commercial district and 55 dba at any exterior line of a property in a residential district.

Antennas and related service equipment mounted on a service tower shall be mounted as close to the tower as possible.

a. Vaulting underground freestanding equipment cabinet or shelter and/or power meter not attached to an existing structure is preferred. However, if the applicant can demonstrate that underground water table or floodplain issues prevent vaulting the supporting ground equipment then it may be placed on the ground. In no instance shall supporting ground equipment be located farther than two feet from the base of the structure and it shall not interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic.

b. Equipment shelters or cabinets not vaulted shall be consistent with the general character of the neighborhood and historic character if applicable. Equipment shelters or cabinets shall be screened from the public view by using landscaping, or materials and colors consistent with the surrounding backdrop.

c. Screening enclosures shall be allowed when the design is architecturally compatible with the building.

d. Screening materials shall consist of materials and colors consistent with the surrounding backdrop and/or textured to match the existing structure.

e. The use of foliage and vegetation around ground equipment may be required based on conditions of the specific area where the ground equipment is to be located.

Wireless communication facilities shall be maintained in compliance with standards contained in applicable state or local building codes and the applicable health and safety standards established by the FCC or other bodies having jurisdiction, as amended from time to time.

The entire tower or base station and all appurtenances shall be designed pursuant to the design requirements of the most current edition of the IBC adopted by the City of Sedona. In addition, the entire tower or base station and all appurtenances shall be designed pursuant to the design requirements of ASCE 7, including wind speed design requirements, and tower loading/wind design requirements of EIA/TIA 222-G, Series II, including any subsequent modification to those specifications.

New towers shall be illuminated only when required and in accordance with FAA requirements to provide aircraft obstruction lighting. All other on-site lighting required for security or emergency purposes shall be in accordance with Section 5.8, Exterior Lighting, and be activated by timers or motion detectors.

Applicants shall furnish evidence that the proposed facility does not violate requirements in Section 5.3, Grading and Drainage.

Applicants shall furnish evidence that the proposed facility has completed any applicable federal/state/tribal historical review or environmental review processes.