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Home My WebLink About0074.2013.ASLU 0074.2013.ASLU/2014 Winter X Games AT&T Temporary Use Permit/2014 - Site Plan Drawings.pdf 0074.2013.ASLU/2014 Winter X Games AT&T Temporary Use Permit/2014 WXG - Temp Use Application (City of Aspen) - COMPLETE APPLICATION 11.16.2013.pdf AT&T 2014 Winter X Games Temporary Use Application, Page 1 of 4 Written Description of Proposal and Code Compliance Maroon Creek Club – Temporary Wireless Facility Written Description of Proposal and Justification for Request AT&T Mobility is proposing to install a temporary wireless facility at the Maroon Creek Golf Course parking lot. The purpose of this temporary facility is to provide supplemental coverage for a limited 2 week period only during the 2014 Winter X Games. The Winter X Games is a special event that significantly increases traffic on the AT&T network with 18,000 to 20,000 attendees each day. In order to meet the expectations of those attending the event and residents while maintaining the safety net that wireless coverage provides with respect to emergencies, a supplement temporary facility is necessary. We understand that the City of Aspen is concerned that AT&T is not seeking a permanent solution to this problem. AT&T is seeking a permanent solution and is committed to providing an exceptional level of service for the community and visitors to the area. AT&T has installed several DAS facilities in the area and is currently working with American Tower to install a facility at Buttermilk Mountain pursuant to the Roaring Fork Broadband Coalition RFP issued in 2013. That facility is under construction. The potential for severe weather and the compressed construction timeline create obstacles to having the system fully operational at the time of the Winter X Games even with careful planning and execution. AT&T has evaluated the traffic needs for the ESPN Winter X-Games on (1/23 – 1/26) against the available capacity of the DAS site to be installed at Buttermilk pursuant to the Roaring Fork Broadband Coalition RFP. Working in conjunction with the Coalition’s chosen provider, AT&T determined that a Cell on Wheels (COW) is necessary to provide the required capacity for the 20,000 daily visitors. In addition to a high total number of guests, the anticipated network traffic for this younger demographic is higher than normal due to data uploading. Without a supplemental facility, the residents and visitors to Aspen this January will face a dissatisfying experience with respect to their wireless mobile coverage. Additionally, people’s safety may be compromised due to the additional traffic and network congestion. Specifically, the temporary wireless facility will occupy approximately 6 parking spaces at the Maroon Creek Golf Course. The permit being requested is for 14 days only and the facility willnot exceed 60’ in height. The level of impact is minor in comparison to the benefit of meeting visitor and resident wireless service expectations and the enhanced public safety that a robust wireless network provides. 0074.2013.ASLU/2014 Winter X Games AT&T Temporary Use Permit/2014 WXG Cover Letter - CK - FEE AGREE.pdf 0074.2013.ASLU/2014 Winter X Games AT&T Temporary Use Permit/Aspen Daily News Article.pdf Published on Aspen Daily News Online (http://www.aspendailynews.com) Pitkin County considers easing rules on cell towers Writer: Chad Abraham Byline: Aspen Daily News Staff Writer Towers that exceed Pitkin County’s current 40-foot limit could be built starting next year in an effort to boost cell phone and broadband service and bring it to places with no coverage. County commissioners Tuesday said they are willing to consider more flexibility in the land-use code, a change aimed at enticing more cell phone carriers and companies that build towers to come to the area. With cell-phone use booming — nearly 70 percent of 911 calls to local emergency dispatchers are made from mobile devices, a county memo says — the code currently limits towers to 40 feet and mandates that they be 200 feet from a residence. The height restriction is particularly limiting for tower-building companies because a 40-foot structure only has capacity for one cellular and broadband carrier, said Lance Clarke, assistant community development director. “What we have learned definitively is that our code currently, which was a very cautious code when it was written in 2006, is really a disincentive,” he said. “It just makes these folks say, ‘We’ll spend more time in some place else because Pitkin County is really too difficult ...’” Along with Assistant County Manager Phylis Mattice, he presented eight examples of locations where new towers could be built, possibly as soon as 2014. They range from El Jebel and Snowmass Village to the Maroon Bells and east of Aspen. Those sites were identified by the American Tower Co., which was chosen in a request-forproposals process by the county in conjunction with the valley’s Broadband Coalition. The coalition includes the Aspen Skiing Co., the towns of Snowmass Village and Basalt, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority and the U.S. Forest Service. The 40-foot limit is appropriate in some spots, but taller towers in places that already have industrial infrastructure could potentially be appropriate, Mattice said. “Our code really encourages a lot of towers that are short versus [fewer] towers that are a little taller,” she said. Commissioner Steve Child said perspective is everything — up to a point. Whether a tower is 40 or 80 feet tall might not make a difference if one can’t tell its true height Page1 of3Pitkin County considers easing rules on cell towers 11/16/2013http://www .aspendailynews.com/print/159822 from a distance, he said. Commissioner Michael Owsley said he agreed that some changes to the land-use code are needed to meet the goal of universal wireless service. The goal meets both health and safety and economic development needs, he said. “These days people just can’t be separated from their communication devices, and our economy depends on people who are tied in closely” to the gadgets, Owsley said. “Having a code that allows that to happen is the right thing to do.” New towers, regardless of their height, must undergo review by the county commissioners, though Clarke suggested possibly changing that requirement for structures 40 feet or under to better lure firms that build the infrastructure. Special review by the county could be reserved for proposed towers over 40 feet, which would give the company the chance to explain the need for greater height and allow neighbors the chance to express concerns at a public hearing, he said. Commissioner George Newman said he was concerned that American Tower’s proposed sites excluded the Crystal and Fryingpan river valleys, both of which he said don’t have any cell service. “It looks like they’re sort of taking the low-hanging fruit here, perhaps what is easiest for them ... to build and to secure contracts on,” he said, “versus more of a need [for] areas that are not getting any service at all.” Mattice said she pointed out those valleys to American Tower, which she said will study them for sites. County Manager Jon Peacock said there are areas in the county for which there is already a market incentive for cell service. But those areas aren’t getting the service, partially because of the county’s regulatory environment, he said. “However it’s less likely ... that there would be the same kind of market incentives to develop the infrastructure and attract carriers to serve” remote areas, Peacock said. That could lead the county to provide additional incentives, perhaps by helping fund construction costs, to bring service to areas like Redstone and Meredith. The county could also require a company seeking to build a tower that exceeds the code to provide service to more remote places. Commissioners Rachel Richards and Rob Ittner also said they would support potential land-use code changes. But Richards said she would want to see mitigation standards, like cosmetic screening of towers and their proximity to homes, discussed when the county reviews a new tower. If a company wants to exceed the 40-foot height limit, the tower would have to move farther away from homes, Richards mused. Page2 of3Pitkin County considers easing rules on cell towers 11/16/2013http://www.aspendailynews.com/print/159822 “There are a lot of twists and turns in solving the problem,” Mattice said. chad@aspendailynews.com [1] Add Image: Photo Credit with Byline: Chris Council/Aspen Daily News Photo Caption: A cellular tower disguised as a tree can be seen from Castle Creek Road, near the Castle Ridge apartment complex. County commissioners are considering allowing taller cell phone towers to enhance local coverage. archive_date: 1 day Source URL:http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/159822 Links: [1] mailto:chad@aspendailynews.com Page3 of3Pitkin County considers easing rules on cell towers 11/16/2013http://www.aspendailynews.com/print/159822 0074.2013.ASLU/2014 Winter X Games AT&T Temporary Use Permit/Winter X-Games_Survey_102212.pdfM:\2012\Projects\Vertical Real Estate\Winter X-Games\Survey\12163-R1-WINTER X GAMES COW\12163-R1-WINTER X GAMES COW LS1 (1)