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Home My WebLink About1.02 Original Project NarrativeGrass Mesa Telecommunication Tower July, 2017 Garfield County Limited Impact Review Project Narrative Prepared by: 2385 F ½ Road Grand Junction, CO 81505 970-243-3271 July 27, 2017 Grass Mesa Telecommunication Tower Limited Impact Review Application Grass Mesa Telecommunication Tower July 27, 2017 Garfield County Limited Impact Review Page 2 of 5 LANDOWNERS David and Roslyn Hatch 1885 C.R. 319 Rifle, CO 81650 TOWER OWNER MBC Grand Broadcasting 1360 E. Sherwood Drive Grand Junction, CO 81501 CONTRACTORS Environmental Services and Permitting: HRL Compliance – Anna Smith Tower Construction: Mountain Radio Systems – Cheri Gardner PROJECT NARRATIVE The proposed telecommunication facility would be located on the subject property of 1885 C.R. 319, Rifle Colorado (35 acres in NW¼SW¼ of Section 23, Township 6 South, Range 93 West of the 6th Principal Meridian). Garfield County Assessor’s Parcel number: 2173-233-00-253. The parcel, owned by David and Roslyn Hatch, is zoned Rural (R) and has the following land uses: one single-family residence (SFR) dwelling unit (du) with associated storage accessory structures and one existing 50-ft telecommunication tower that is non-compliant, having not gone through any County approval processes before its installation in 2012. All other onsite structures are in full compliance with Garfield County Land Use and Development Code (LUDC). In accordance with Table 3-201, Telecommunication Facilities may exceed the maximum height of 35 feet allowed in the Rural zoning district provided they are reviewed (if required) and approved pursuant to a Limited Impact Review, as noted in Table 3-403, Use Table. The subject property is located within the Airport/Heliport Influence Area Overlay district, as described in LUDC Article 3, Division 3 – Overlay District Regulations. Specifically, as noted on the County’s Official Zone Overlay Map, amended September 16, 2013 and originally adopted by Resolution 2008-115, the subject property is located within the Horizontal Surface G-1 Non -RPZ. Comprehensive Plan 2030 and Intergovernmental Agreements (IGA) The subject property is located with in the Residential Medium High (Res-MH 2 - <6 acres/dwelling unit) Designation as shown on the Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map of the Comprehensive Plan 2030 (last amended October 2013). The subject property is also located within the Intergovernmental Agreement area of the City of Rifle Area of lnfluence (3 Mile Area). The RMH designation allows small farms, estates, and clustered residential subdivisions; density determined by degree of clustering and land preserved in open condition: 0% open land = 1 du per ~6 acres 50% open land = 1 du per 4 acres 70% open land = 1 du per 2 acres. The subject property complies with this designation in that the 35-acre parcel consists of the one SFR du with small accessory structures with the remainder of the parcel left in an undeveloped state. Grass Mesa Telecommunication Tower July 27, 2017 Garfield County Limited Impact Review Page 3 of 5 PURPOSE AND NEED The purpose of this submitted Limited Impact Review (LIR) application is to seek and obtain approval for a proposed unlighted 160-ft self -supporting telecommunication tower within a fenced 40-ft by 36-ft compound area on the subject property. Also proposed is one lighted 8-ft by 20-ft accessory building to house electrical equipment for the tower and a 56-ft long by 10-ft wide access driveway to the tower facility from the existing local private road of Quick Silver Way, which is not county-maintained. The proposed 160-ft tower would be utilized by MBC Grand Broadcasting (MBC) for transmission of their own radio stations. MBC will also offer lease space on the tower and in the shelter to other companies for co- location. Note: At the onset of the many surveys and notification processes for this proposed tower, the proposed tower height was originally set to be 100 feet in height. However, the tower height has since been changed to 160 feet, therefore, some forms, documents, reports, and maps (that could not be revised after-the -fact) still refer to the 100-ft height. It should be understood by all that where 100 feet is mentioned, the 160-ft tower is intended. This LIR application also seeks after-the -fact approval for an existing 50-ft tower on the subject property, constructed in 2012 under negotiations between the previous landowner and Encana without going through proper County approval processes. As explained by an Encana representative, this 2012 tower was constructed as an “in-kind” replacement for another tower originally constructed in the 1990s on the subject property. Per the Encana representative, the 1990s tower was owned by Ballard and was removed and replaced due to safety reasons. The current 2012 tower is utilized solely by the oil and gas owner/operator of the tower for remote retrieval of data or supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) from well pads and other oil and gas field assets, and is needed to remain in use for continued operations and functions of these assets. Despite requesting additional information from Encana, no other information has been supplied on this existing tower to the landowner or the tower company and its contractors. Proposed Tower Facility As noted previously, the proposed unlighted 160-ft self -supporting tower and 8-ft by 20-ft accessory structure would be located within a fenced 40-ft by 36-ft compound area, accessed via a proposed 56-ft long by 10-ft wide driveway from Quick Silver Way. The proposed facility has been situated on the subject property to comply with County zoning and Holy Cross Energy setback requirements from property lines and existing electrical lines, respectively. The proposed fencing around the compound is anticipated to be a 6-ft chain link fence. The proposed accessory structure, a prefabricated utility structure, would house the necessary electrical equipment for the operation of the facility and is proposed to have an exterior porch light. Through coordination with Holy Cross Energy, power for the operation of the telecommunications facility would be pulled from the existing overhead powerline that run approximately 25 feet south of the proposed facility. An existing powerpole is located approximately 44 feet to the southeast of the proposed facility. It is unknown at this time whether service lines will run overhead to the facility or will be buried. Project construction is scheduled for late summer of 2017 and should be completed in 5 weeks, the first and last weeks of which being the only duration of active construction. During construction, estimated traffic would consist of: • One crane for 3 days onsite Grass Mesa Telecommunication Tower July 27, 2017 Garfield County Limited Impact Review Page 4 of 5 • One bulldozer for 7 days onsite • Two tower delivery semi’s approximately 40’ length for 1 day on site • One concrete truck for 1 day onsite • Three to four crew vehicle s • Approximately 8 personnel onsite at one time Once constructed, operation and maintenance of the facility would generate one to two crew vehicles with 2 field personnel on a monthly or bi -monthly basis. The proposed telecommunications facility with accessory structure is currently going through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) review process, as well as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) checklist review process. Online submittal of FAA’s 7460-1 Form for the proposed tower at the amended height of 160 feet has been completed and been assigned the following ASN: 2017-ANM-2654-OE. FAA also required the registration of the proposed 8-ft by 20-ft accessory structure for the telecommunications facility due to the project’s 1-mile proximity to the Rifle/Garfield County Airport, which is located north, north-east of the project location. The tower’s accessory building has been assigned the following ASN: 2017-ANM-2557-OE. Additionally, online submittal of FCC’s Form 620 has been completed and assigned the following TCNS #: 158700. Included with this application packet are copies of the submi tted FAA Form 7460-1 (Notice of Proposed Construction) and FCC Form 620. Final determinations from the FAA and FCC are not available at this time but will be provided to the County upon receipt. Responses received to-date from the Colorado Historic Preservation Office, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the following Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs) are also included in this application’s supplemental material: Blackfeet, Crow Creek Sioux, Flandreau Santee Sioux, Kiowa, Northern Arapaho, Northern Cheyenne, Spirit Lake, and Ute Mountain Ute tribe s, all confirming the project would not have any impacts on cultural resources and listed species. Additional supplemental material included in this application include: • Impact Analysis. • Geotech Investigation. • Cultural Study (Limited Results Form and Form 620 Attachments, which document the lack of cultural resources). • Biological Assessment, which includes NRCS soils information. • Noxious Weed Report. • Stormwater Management Plan. • Tower Site Plans o Structural and Engineering Design – At this time, engineered plans have not been completed for the proposed tower. Upon completion, engineered plans and other information required in Section 7-1102 of the County’s Land Use Regulations will be submitted to the County. Waivers Due to the small scale of the proposed project and the flat terrain of the project site , the Applicant is seeking waivers from the following County requirements for this application: • Traffic Study • Grading and Drainage Plan • Landscape Plan Grass Mesa Telecommunication Tower July 27, 2017 Garfield County Limited Impact Review Page 5 of 5 • Water Supply Plan • Waste Management Plan