Ordinance Amendment to Allow for More Telecommunications Facilities
The Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors has approved an amendment to the existing code which dictates the placement of monopoles in the Township.
The Board authorized the advertisement of a public hearing to adopt an amendment to §27-710—Wireless Communications Facilities of the Ferguson Township Code of Ordinances on January 3, 2023. The hearing took place at the following Board meeting on January 17, 2023, and the Board voted to amend the ordinance.
Addressing concerns of digital disparity and dependence on the internet which skyrocketed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ordinance amendment updates the code to reflect advances in technology and engineering that have occurred since §27-710, Telecommunications Facilities was last amended in 2015.
Monopoles are the only type of wireless communication structures permitted in Ferguson Township. They are permitted in the following zoning districts:
- Traditional Town Development
- Rural Agricultural
- Rural Residential
- Agricultural Research
- Forest/Game Lands
- General Commercial
- Industrial
- Light Industry, Research and Development
Monopoles are permitted via conditional use. Approval requires a number of conditions be met, including:
- Setback distance of half the height of the pole from the property line
- The tower cannot be located within 300 FT of a residential structure
- The tower cannot be located within 3,000 FT of an existing tower
- Not over 200 FT in height