Procurement News Notice |
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| PNN | 8002 |
| Work Detail | The Camas City Council unanimously approved an emergency moratorium on new wireless telecommunications facilities within city limits. The council voted 6-0 tonight during its regular meeting in favor of a ban that will last until Aug. 7, 2017, giving city staff and council time to conduct a review of it wireless telecommunications ordinance. The moratorium ordinance sets a Planning Commission hearing on the permitting of a wireless communication facility for Nov. 15. Staff will then create a report and proposed amendments, followed by public hearings scheduled for May 16, 2017, in front of the Planning Commission, and then in front of the City Council on June 19, 2017. “The City Council desires to review its zoning and use codes related to wireless communication facilities for consistency with the vision, goals and policies established through the Camas 2035 comprehensive plan,” the moratorium states. The moratorium comes following a decision on Aug. 5 by the city’s hearing examiner to approve a conditional use permit allowing PI Telecom Infrastructure, LLC, of Jacksonville, Florida, and Freewire of Beaverton, Oregon, to build a 175-foot wireless telecommunications tower on private property at 2829 N.W. 18th Ave. Camas land-use laws allow cell phone towers in residential areas, within a specific set of criteria. That decision by Joe Turner has been met with criticism from the community, including from the group Friends of Prune Hill, led by Camas resident Glenn Watson. Concerns have included wireless telecommunications towers’ visual impacts, health issues related to exposure to radio frequency waves, and the effects on migratory bird patterns. On Aug. 19, Vancouver attorney Mark A. Erikson filed a motion with the city on behalf of Watson and Friends of Prune Hill, asking Turner to reconsider his decision. Erikson argues that Turner failed to correctly interpret the law, and his decision to approve the conditional use permit was not supported by evidence. In addition, the motion states that the city did not conduct reviews of its telecommunications ordinance, as dictated in city code. According to the city’s municipal code, Turner must issue a decision on the request for review within the next 45 days. His options include denying the request, modifying the decision, or affirming the decision. The moratorium approved on Tuesday has no impact on Turner’s Aug. 5 decision about the cell tower at 2829 N.W. 18th Ave. Wireless facilities that have already been approved are vested in the city’s current code. |
| Country | United States , Northern America |
| Industry | Telecommunication |
| Entry Date | 15 Oct 2016 |
| Source | http://www.camaspostrecord.com/news/2016/sep/06/camas-city-council-implements-cell-tower-moratorium/ |
