La Plata County commissioners on Tuesday will consider whether to enact regulations that would cap the height of cellphone towers, require setbacks from neighboring properties and discourage building new towers.
The regulations stem from a move by AT&T in 2011 to build a 195-foot-tall tower in front of the Hermosa Cliffs north of Durango.
The company withdrew its application after encountering opposition from neighbors, but the episode drew a glaring light to the county’s lack of regulations.
“The county became concerned because it realized it had nothing with regard to regulation and approval of cellphone towers,” Commissioner Bobby Lieb said. “We haven’t seen the proliferation of them as we had feared originally, but nevertheless, there should be something in the code that addresses it.”
As currently written, the regulations encourage telecommunications companies to build new antennas on existing towers wherever possible, a scenario known as co-locating. The regulations apply to all types of communications towers. They also require the removal of towers that have been abandoned or fallen into disuse for six months or more.
Other provisions include:
Towers must be set back from neighboring properties by a distance equal to at least 1.3 times the tower’s height.
Towers would be held to a maximum height of 199 feet. A waiver process would be available.
Lattice towers would be prohibited, with some exceptions.
Speculative towers – those built without the intention of becoming operational right away – would be prohibited.
Visibility and aesthetics are another motivation for the regulations. Commissioner Gwen Lachelt remains concerned about the possibility of towers marring ridgelines.
“We don’t have ridgeline regulations,” Lachelt said. “To me, that doesn’t mean we can’t take every precaution to make sure that cellphone towers aren’t obstructing views.”
Julie Westendorff, chairwoman of the Board of County Commissioners, said she’s satisfied with the regulations as written.
Several residents concerned about towers have submitted comments to the county.
Angie Andersson of Durango called for an independent study of how cellphone towers affect health and the environment.
Sally Florence of Durango requested towers be placed at higher elevations, away from humans and honey bees, which she said can be affected by towers.
Lieb said the towers’ emissions are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, and the county isn’t likely to get into regulating tower signals.
cslothower@durangoherald.com
