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Home My WebLink AboutProject Support Statement - UP14-0009 PROJECT SUPPORT STATEMENT VERIZON WIRELESS SITE NAME: Afton Road LOCATION: 4409 Aquas Frias Road, Durham, CA 95938 APN: 029-060-020 Introduction Verizon Wireless is seeking to improve communications service to residences, businesses and travelers in Butte County. Verizon maintains a strong customer base in the County and strives to improve coverage for both existing and potential customers. Verizon Wireless is currently experiencing a significant coverage gap for agricultural areas west of Oroville. This project will expand Verizon’s existing network in an effort to improve call quality, signal strength, and wireless connection services. The increase in wireless signal strength will benefit residents, local businesses, and public safety communications systems within the County. Location Verizon Wireless proposes a new wireless communications facility located at 4409 Aguas Frias Road, APN 029-060-020; NAD 83 coordinates N 39o 27’ 52.14”, W 121o 51’ 32.72”. The property is located in the Agriculture (A-80) zone. This roughly 300-acre property is used for agriculture. The lease area is located in the southeastern portion of the property with access via a proposed access and utility easement from Aguas Frias Road. The surrounding area consists of similarly zoned properties. Verizon Wireless “Afton Road” APN 029‐060‐020 Project Support Statement – Verizon Wireless “Afton Road” [2] Proposed Facility The proposed facility consists of 8 Verizon Wireless panel antennas with 4 proposed antenna sectors and 2 antennas per sector to be mounted on a proposed 124’ monopole. There are 8 Verizon Wireless RRH units will be mounted behind the antennas with 2 proposed Verizon Wireless surge protectors mounted on the proposed monopole, and 1 surge protector located at the equipment shelter. The design allows for Verizon’s anticipated future needs of an additional 1 antenna per sector and 2 microwave dishes. An 11’6”X16’10 ½” prefabricated equipment shelter will be installed along with a 30kw standby diesel generator and 132 gallon fuel tank. A 6’ tall chain link security fence with colored screening slats will be installed with a 6’ access gate around the lease area perimeter. The power and telecommunications cables will be installed underground from the joint utility pole at Butte City Highway to the lease area. The unmanned facility will provide enhanced wireless network coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Service Objective The objective of the proposed facility is both to fill in a gap in coverage in Butte County, as well as to provide support capacity to the existing overloaded facilities (Nelson, Oroville, and Biggs). In order to achieve this service objective, VZW identified a potential candidate "Search Ring". A Search Ring is a circle on a map that is determined by Verizon’s Radio Frequency Engineer. The circle identifies the geographic area within which the proposed facility must be located to satisfy the intended service objective. In creating the Search Ring, the RF Engineer takes into account many factors, such as topography, proximity to existing structures, current coverage areas, existing obstructions, etc. For a visual representation of the Search Ring, see the images below. Verizon Wireless “Afton Road” Search Ring Project Support Statement – Verizon Wireless “Afton Road” [3] Below is a visual depiction of the improved coverage to be provided by the proposed facility. The first map represents Verizon's existing coverage conditions in the area. The second map represents Verizon's the coverage conditions given approval of the proposed facility. The green areas on both maps represents areas with good indoor/outdoor coverage. The yellow areas on both maps below represents areas poor quality outdoor coverage. Existing Coverage Proposed Coverage Project Support Statement – Verizon Wireless “Afton Road” [4] Alternative Site Analysis The location of a wireless telecommunications facility to fulfill the above referenced service objective is dependent upon many different factors, such as topography, zoning regulations, existing structures, co- location opportunities, available utilities, access and a willing landlord. Wireless communication is a line-of- sight technology that requires facilities to be in relative close proximity to the wireless handsets in order to be served. Each proposed site is unique and must be investigated and evaluated on its own terms. Verizon strives to minimize visual and noise impacts for each facility and seeks to incorporate ways to preserve the local community character to the greatest extent feasible at all stages of site selection for a wireless telecommunication facility. The site selection process for this proposed facility began in June 2013 with the issuance of the above reference Search Ring. When identifying feasible wireless facility locations, VZW first looks for collocation opportunities on existing towers, which could potentially allow for the satisfaction of the necessary coverage objectives. In this instance, no feasible collocation opportunities on existing towers exist within the necessary geographic area (the Search Ring). Once collocation opportunities on existing towers were exhausted, Verizon next looked for opportunities for roof-mounts, flush-mounts, façade-mounts, etc. Verizon was not able to find any building-mounted collocation opportunities within the necessary Search Ring. Due to the lack of feasible collocation opportunities in this area Verizon began a site search for feasible new build facility locations. After analyzing the relevant Butte County regulations, Verizon identified all parcels within the Search Ring area which could serve as potential candidates for a new wireless facility location. A form letter was sent out to all of the potential candidates identified. Of the 6 property owners notified, all 6 property owners showed an interest in having their property as a candidate for a new facility. Below is a summary of each the alternative candidates, and the reason each candidate was not selected for the new facility location. 1. McPherrin Land Co. Property -APN: 029-060-004, Zoned A-40 This candidate was initially selected by Verizon. It offered a potential opportunity for a 104’ monopole, however after the landowner lost interest in the project, the location was not pursued by Verizon. 2. Dos Rios Land Co. Property- APN: 029-060-014, Zoned A-40 This candidate initially offered a potential opportunity for a 104’ monopole. However after further determinations and inquiry this site was deemed insufficient due to the lack of available screening and increased visibility of the site from the public right of way along Butte City Highway. 3. Maxwell Ranch Property- APN: 029-060-015, Zoned A-40 This candidate initially offered a similar monopole tower height as the previous alternatives. However after further determinations and inquiry, this site was deemed insufficient due to the lack of available usable space on the parcel. 4. Sheppard Property – APN: 029-060-011, Zone A-40 This candidate initially offered a similar monopole tower height as the previous alternatives. However after further determinations and inquiry this site was deemed insufficient due to the lack of available screening and increased visibility of the site from the public right of way along Butte City Highway. Project Support Statement – Verizon Wireless “Afton Road” [5] 5. Sligar Farms, Inc Property – APN:029-060-016, Zoned A-40 This candidate initially offered a similar monopole tower height as the previous alternatives. However after further determinations and inquiry this site was deemed insufficient due to the lack of available screening and increased visibility of the site from the public right of way along Butte City Highway. The identified project location and design of the proposed facility represents a thorough and responsible investigation of the alternative sites and co-location possibilities performed over the last year. Of the potentially viable candidates, Verizon has determined that the proposed site is the best available location for a wireless telecommunications facility, from the perspective of producing the desired coverage and capacity objective, while having the least possible impact on the surrounding area. This site/design represents the least intrusive means to provide the needed capacity improvement and close a significant gap in service. Design Justification The proposed facility is located within agricultural area which covers the general area in all directions from the project site. The monopole design is most compatible with this environment and the agricultural zoning in order to effectively blend with the surroundings. A stealth tower design such as a monopine may be more noticeable within an open agricultural landscape to nearby residences and travelers along Butte City Highway. Project Support Statement – Verizon Wireless “Afton Road” [6] Future Colocation Potential The proposed site has been designed in a manner that would allow for future collocation. An approximately 112’ centerline would be the highest available centerline for a future carrier. Space for future carrier’s ground equipment would need to be negotiated with the property owner. Safety Benefits of Improved Wireless Service Verizon Wireless offers its customers multiple services such as voice calls, text messaging, mobile email, picture/video messaging, mobile web, navigation, broadband access, V CAST, and E911 services. Mobile phone use has become an extremely important tool for first responders and serves as a back-up system in the event of a natural disaster. Verizon Wireless will install a standby generator at this facility to ensure quality communication for the surrounding community in the event of a natural disaster or catastrophic event. This generator will be fully contained within the equipment shelter and will provide power to the facility in the event that local power systems are offline. Lighting Unless tower lighting is required by the FAA the only lighting on the facility will be a shielded motion sensor light by the door on the equipment shelter. Project Support Statement – Verizon Wireless “Afton Road” [7] Maintenance and Standby Generator Testing Verizon Wireless installs a standby generator and batteries at all of its cell sites. The generator and batteries serve a vital role in Verizon’s emergency and disaster preparedness plan. In the event of a power outage, Verizon Wireless communications equipment will first transition to the back-up batteries. The batteries can run the site for a few hours depending upon the demand placed upon the equipment. Should the power outage extend beyond the capacity of the batteries, the back-up generator will automatically start and continue to run the site for up to 24 hours. The standby generator will operate for approximately 15 minutes bi-weekly for maintenance purposes, during daytime business hours. Back-up batteries and generators allow Verizon Wireless’ communications sites to continue providing valuable communications services in the event of a power outage, natural disaster or other emergency. Construction Schedule The construction of the facility will be in compliance with all local rules and regulations. The typical duration is two months. The crew size will range from two to ten individuals. The construction phase of the project will last approximately two months and will not exceed acceptable noise levels. Notice of Actions Affecting Development Permit In accordance with California Government Code Section 65945(a), Verizon Wireless requests notice of any proposal to adopt or amend the: general plan, specific plan, zoning ordinance, ordinance(s) affecting building or grading permits that would in any manner affect this development permit. Any such notice may be sent to 2009 V Street, Sacramento, CA 95818.