The San Benito County Planning commission gave its blessing to a
new telecommunications ordinance intended to protect the natural
beauty of the county’s countryside.
The ordinance still has to win the approval of the San Benito
County Board of Supervisors before it can go into effect.
The proposed ordinance would create a standard guideline for the
appearance of telecommunication broadcast towers and repeaters,
electronic devices used to boost radio waves and other signals in
areas were reception is difficult.
The San Benito County Planning commission gave its blessing to a new telecommunications ordinance intended to protect the natural beauty of the county’s countryside.
The ordinance still has to win the approval of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors before it can go into effect.
The proposed ordinance would create a standard guideline for the appearance of telecommunication broadcast towers and repeaters, electronic devices used to boost radio waves and other signals in areas were reception is difficult.
“This is to help keep the aesthetic quality of the county in tact,” Assistant Planner Lorrie Chase said. “Most other cities or counties have similar ordinances in place.”
The ordinance has been in the works for several years because the County Planning Commission received more and more requests from radio and cellular phone companies to place towers in the county.
Rather than deal with the requests on an case to case basis, the commission asked the planning staff to draft an ordinance that provides for a “uniform and comprehensive set of standards” that can be applied evenly to all applicants, Chase said.
Where ever possible, the ordinance encourages applicants to design towers or repeaters that will blend in to the surrounding vistas to look almost be invisible.
In the past, some broadcast towers have been designed to look like trees if placed in forested areas and at other times like windmills in more rural settings.
The ordinance is expected to go before the Board of Supervisors for its consideration, Chase said.
