Too late for Rolling Meadows to limit cell tower height?
Efforts to limit the height of a proposed cell tower antenna in Kimball Hill Park in Rolling Meadows - from 75 feet to 45 feet - may come too late, city officials said Tuesday.
Central States Tower, representing Verizon Wireless, submitted an application to the city Oct. 9 for a 75-foot pole that would be placed on the south end of the park, per a lease agreement the company inked with the Rolling Meadows Park District. The company withdrew an earlier proposal for a 110-foot pole - for which it would have needed a special use from the city council - after nearby residents objected to the height and effect it could have on property values.
The city legally has until Jan. 7 to respond to Verizon's application for a 75-foot antenna - now permitted under city code. But a proposed code amendment that would shorten permitted antennas citywide to 45 feet might not get approved by then, City Attorney Jim Macholl told aldermen Tuesday night.
The city's planning and zoning commission was to consider the code change at its Dec. 5 meeting, but it delayed a decision until its next meeting Dec. 20. That commission must first hear the case and make a recommendation to the city council before aldermen take a final vote, Macholl said. Tentatively, a first reading council vote is planned for Dec. 19 and final second reading vote on Jan. 9 - two days after Verizon is due back its request for a 75-foot tower.
Macholl said there's other variables that could extend the time frame by which the city must respond. He says it's also possible the council could call for a special meeting before Jan. 7 to pass the new 45-foot rule.
But in the meantime, Macholl has asked Verizon's representative if the company is willing to move the location of the proposed antenna some 600 feet to the east - closer to the rear of the Rolling Meadows Shopping Center on Kirchoff Road and away from the backyards of homes. As part of the negotiation, Macholl also suggested the company could get back the 110-foot antenna it was originally looking for.
So far, Macholl says he hasn't received a response.
He said the city couldn't prohibit commercial antennas in residential areas, per federal regulations, or the precise location of Verizon's proposed antenna in the park.
But the city can require that the antenna not be illuminated, as is proposed under the ordinance. Verizon has proposed a "stealth tower" upon which an American flag could be flown, and that would likely mean it would be illuminated at night if the flag isn't taken down at the end of the day, Macholl said.
The park district is due to get $24,000 a year under terms of the 25-year agreement with Verizon - money that officials say would be used to support district programming.