[Added by Ord. No. 96-2]

It is the purpose of this article to provide specific zoning conditions and standards for the location and operation of cellular antennas for telephone, radio, paging and other personal communication services and/or television communication within the Township which, while acknowledging that there are inherent benefits derived from the construction and operation of such antennas, also recognize the need to safeguard the public good and preserve the intent and the purposes of the Township zone plan.

The overall objective of this article is to enable the location of the necessary antennas within the Township in order to provide full cellular communication services while, at the same time, limiting the number of supporting towers to the fewest possible. Therefore, since it is recognized that a number of service carriers have the right to provide cellular communication service within the Township, it is also an objective of this section that many of the different carriers collocate their antennas on the same tower in order to limit the overall number of towers with the Township to the fewest possible.

In order to provide evidence that the proposed location of the proposed antennas, and any proposed supporting tower and ancillary building enclosing related electronic equipment, have been planned to result in the fewest number of tower locations within the Township at the time full service is provided by the applicant throughout the Township, the applicant shall provide an overall comprehensive plan indicating how it intends to provide full service throughout the Township and, to the greatest extent reasonably possible, shall indicate how its plan specifically relates to and is coordinated with the needs of all other providers of cellular communication services within the Township. Essentially and summarily, the overall comprehensive plan shall indicate the following:

A. How the proposed location of the proposed antennas relates to the location of any existing towers within and near the Township.

B. How the proposed location of the proposed antennas relates to the anticipated need for additional antennas and supporting towers within and near the Township by the applicant and by other providers of cellular communication services within the Township.

C. How the proposed location of the proposed antennas relates to the objective of collocating the antennas of many different providers of cellular communication services on the same tower.

D. How the proposed location of the proposed antennas relates to the overall objective of providing full cellular communication services within the Township while, at the same time, limiting the number of towers to the fewest.

If needed in accordance with an overall comprehensive plan for the provision of cellular communication services within the Township utilizing the fewest number of towers as possible, cellular antennas for telephone, radio, paging and/or television communication shall be permitted at the following prioritized locations:

A. First-priority location: an existing tower or an existing or proposed water tower or water standpipe within or near the Township.

B. Second-priority location: on lands owned by the Township, including a right-of-way owned by the Township.

C. Third-priority location: on lands owned by a fire company or first aid squad providing service within the Township.

D. Fourth-priority location: on lands within the Township zoned or lawfully used primarily for commercial or industrial land uses.

A. If the proposed antennas will be attached to an existing tower or an existing or proposed water tower or water standpipe, no land area shall be required in addition to the land area upon which the existing structure is situated; or

B. If the proposed antennas and support tower will be on lands either owned by the Township, a fire company or first aid squad providing service within the Township, the land area required shall be as approved by the Planning Board in consideration of existing site conditions and surrounding land uses and shall be subject to a lease agreement between the applicant and the owner of the land; or

C. If the proposed antennas and proposed new supporting tower will be on lands within the Township zoned or lawfully used primarily for commercial or industrial uses, the following minimum requirements shall be met:

(1) The proposed antennas and proposed supporting tower and ancillary building enclosed related electronic equipment shall be located on a lot at least one acre in area, except that for good cause shown the Planning Board may approve a lesser land area in consideration of existing site conditions and surrounding land uses, and shall be subject to a lease agreement between the applicant and the owner of the land.

(2) Excepting for any access driveway into the property, any required landscaping and any underground utility lines reviewed and approved by the Planning Board as part of the site plan submission, no building, structure and/or disturbance of land shall be permitted within a one-hundred-foot setback distance from any street line or any other existing or proposed property line.

The height of any proposed antenna and any proposed new tower shall be demonstrated by the applicant to be the maximum height necessary for the proposed installation to satisfactorily operate and provide for collocations.

A. Building enclosing related electronic equipment. Any proposed building enclosing related electronic equipment shall not be more than 15 feet in height nor more than 600 square feet in area, and only one such building shall be permitted on the lot for each provider of cellular communication services located on the site.

B. Proposed new tower. Any proposed new tower shall be a monopole unless the applicant can demonstrate, and the Planning Board agrees, that a different type of pole is necessary for the collocation of additional antennas on the tower.

C. Antenna prohibition. No antenna shall be located on any tower in order to provide noncellular telephone service; such service shall be provided via existing telephone lines if available to the site or by the underground extension of telephone lines to the site, if necessary.

D. Blending with surroundings. All proposed antennas, any proposed new tower and any proposed building enclosing related electronic equipment must blend in with the surrounding as far as practicable.

E. Landscaped buffer. Between any existing or zoned residential property bordering the proposed lot and the location of any proposed new tower or any proposed building enclosing related electronic equipment, a landscaped buffer at least 20 feet deep shall be provided.

(1) The landscaped buffer shall consist of a combination of existing and/or newly planted evergreen and deciduous trees of sufficient density to screen the view of the tower and building from the surrounding residential properties to the maximum extent possible.

(2) Any newly planted evergreen trees shall be at least eight feet high at the time of planting, and any newly planted deciduous trees shall be a minimum caliper of two inches at the time of planting.

F. Off-street parking. Off-street parking shall be permitted as needed and as approved by the Planning Board.

G. Fences and other safety devices. Fences and other safety devices shall be permitted as needed and as approved by the Planning Board.

The applicant shall provide a performance bond and/or other assurances satisfactory to the Planning Board and in a form approved by the Township Attorney that will cause the antennas, the supporting tower, the ancillary building enclosing related electronic equipment and all other related improvements to the land to be removed, at no cost to the Township, when the antennas are no longer operative.

All other applicable requirements of this article not to the contrary to the specific conditions and standards specified herein shall be met, but waivers and/or variances of such other applicable requirements of this article may be granted by the Planning Board.