With many wireless carriers looking at small-cell technology to help bring 5G networks to certain parts of the country, the City of Orange Beach is looking to regulate what would be allowed within city limits.
Kit Alexander, Community Development Coordinator, said limits would be placed on the pole structures themselves as well as the distance between them.
“Basically, the primary components of this ordinance are to limit the height of the poles,” Alexander said. “We are going to limit them to 40 feet. That is in line with the limitation on single-family residences. We are going to be setting a minimum spacing amount of 200 feet on each side of the street. All of these poles will have to be 200 feet from poles located on the same side of the street. We’re going to have green decorative poles on 161 and beach boulevard and black elsewhere to match those pretty acorn lights you see in some of our neighborhoods.”
Councilman Jerry Johnson, who also chairs the city’s Telecommunications Committee, said the FCC has stated city ordinances are priority when putting small cell towers in a new municipality.
“No carrier is just going to come in there and say I’m going to put the pole here because I have the right to do it because the FCC says so,” Johnson said. “No, you don’t have the right to do what you want, here’s our ordinance. If a city has an ordinance in place the carriers cannot override those. But we’ll work with you though. We’re not going to try to block it, we embrace the technology, but we want to have a voice on where that pole’s going to be and keeping with the aesthetics of this city.”
Gulf Shores has already passed a similar change to its ordinances regarding small cell towers.
Johnson, who has been a major part of the effort to get fiber into residential areas of Orange Beach, said that while the city is looking to place restrictions on the structures, the small cell itself is something to be praised.
“We embrace small-cell technology,” Johnson said. “It is a good technology and it’s what’s going to bring 5G in our area. Not necessarily in the immediate future but somewhere down the road.”
During the regular session, the council approved:
-An ordinance establishing the annual salary of the mayor, chairman pro-tem, and councilmembers to be paid bi-weekly.
-A liquor license for Coastal Café and for Repicci's Real Italian Ice at Phoenix West II.
-A resolution authorizing an agreement to with the American Red Cross for a licensed training provider for the Orange Beach Aquatics Center.
-A resolution authorizing the execution of a task order with McCollough Architecture to provide architectural services and electrical and structural engineering for a Utilities Department Office Building in an amount not to exceed $46,750.
-A resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute Change Order No. 2 with MD Thomas Construction for the Art Center shoreline stabilization and boardwalk project in an amount not to exceed $3,137.60.
