Montgomery County ZTA 18-11 will allow 20 cubic feet of wireless equipment in front of homes

This is from MC4T.org website on ZTA-18-11

What's WRONG with ZTA 18-11 

(A very quick snap shot)

The legislation would allow the placement of cell towers 30 feet from a dwelling, often times with no notice to the community and no public hearing.    Specifically,  the new code would:

• Allow antennas and panels on the utility poles 30 feet from a dwelling.  There would be no limit on the number of wireless transmission facilities. The 30 foot setback  is a reduction in the current 60 foot setback. 

• -Expand the size of the base equipment boxes to 20 cubic feet from the current 12 cubic feet. These would be on the ground outside on sidewalks in the public right of way. There would be no limit to the number of boxes.

All of this could occur with no public notice and no hearing as the new towers would be deployed under Limited Use.   Residents would learn of the new cell tower/utility poles  during and after their installation.

Additionally, new cell towers could be installed 30 feet from a dwelling as long as the wireless provider submitted an application and went through the “Conditional Use” process.  

The legislation strips  the appeals process out of current law for homeowners.  In other words, homeowners now have a process by which they can appeal and seek to overturn an approved cell tower application.

Currently the County has no provision for post-installation inspection. As a result,  quite a number of poles in Montgomery County are not in the location cited on the application and are much closer to homes than are currently allowable by law.  Certainly a provision in this legislation should be instituted to mandate post installation inspection and certification so that the poles are in the correct place and operating safely.  This reform should occur before any legislation is enacted.

This is from MC4T.org website on ZTA-18-11