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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSUP Findings - NarrativeEIP / The Cape Blvd. / Special Use Permit Findings 1. The use will not materially endanger the public health or safety if located where proposed and approved. Reliable access to wireless service has become a public necessity since most all residents now rely on wireless devices as their primary method of communication and access to emergency services. Additionally, greater access to wireless service will also improve efficiency for public safety officials, schools, businesses, residents and the general public in the surrounding area. Illustrations of the current, limited to no coverage in the area are shown on the Propagation Maps from T-Mobile included with this Special Use Permit application (“Application”), as well as a side-by-side comparison showing the cellular coverage that will be provided upon the proposed tower’s (“Tower”) completion. Currently, much of the area has little access to reliable cellular coverage, and the Tower will meet the needs of those seeking greater access to cellular service in the surrounding area, while a lso providing opportunities for other cellular providers (the Tower is designed to house three (3) carriers total) to collocate in the future. It is worth noting that upon completion of the Tower, visits made by service and maintenance personnel will be infrequent, and, as such, will generate little to no daily traffic to and from the site. 2. The use meets all required conditions and specifications of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The proposed use complies with all applicable standards and requirements contained in the UDO. Please see a response to each relevant UDO provision included with this Application. 3. The use will not substantially injure the value of adjoining or abutting property, or that the use is a public necessity. Please see the Impact Study, prepared by Michael Berkowitz, a certified North Carolina Real Estate Appraiser, submitted with this Application , which provides that the Tower “will not substantially injure the values of adjacent or abutting properties.” 4. The location and character of the use if developed according to the plan as submitted and approved will be in harmony with the area in which it is to be located and in general conformity with the New Hanover County Comprehensive Land Use Plan. According to State law, towers are presumed to be in harmony with the neighborhood since the use is allowed in the zoning district. With that said, the Tower will be made of galvanized steel and will be gray in color so as to blend in with the backdrop of the sky. Additionally, the antenna arrays will be enclosed by concealment shield s and to limited visibility to onlookers. Please see Sheet C-4 of the Zoning Drawings for a depiction of the Tower, as well as the Photographic Simulations provided with this Application. The Tower has been sited on a well-forested parcel, characterized by existing mature vegetation, and the existing vegetative screen will effectively shield the base of the Tower from view, and only the middle to top of the Tower will, although marginally, be visible from the surrounding area, as demonstrated by the Photographic Simulations submitted with this Application. Furthermore, the limits of construction are very low (.095 acres), and as much EIP / The Cape Blvd. / Special Use Permit Findings of the existing vegetation as possible will remain intact onsite. Additionally, the Tower will not be lighted. Lastly, the New Hanover County, North Carolina Comprehensive Plan 2026 (“Comprehensive Plan”) places emphasis on the growth in New Hanover County. In order to keep up with such growth, and to address the concern indicated on Comprehensive Plan pg. 40 that 40.12% of New Hanover County residents rely on connection types such as cable, DSL, or satellite, which “highlights the need for further expansion to ensure more equitable access to high-quality internet across the county”, the Tower will provide (i) greater access to reliable wireless coverage and (ii) an opportunity to keep up with the County’s continued growth. In addition to the anchor tenant, two (2) additional carriers may collocate on the Tower, which will provide an opportunity for a variety of service providers to deploy coverage in the area. The Propagation Maps provided with this Application demonstrate the greater coverage that will be provided to those in the area covered by carriers on the Tower.