After Residents Send Signals, Post Falls Writes Tower Rules

A proposed city ordinance would prettify what planners describe as an ugly necessity.

Rules governing cellular phone towers will be discussed at a public hearing on Oct. 7. It will begin at 7 p.m. at the Oddfellows Hall, 200 E. Railroad Ave.

Post Falls residents twice complained about the towers this year.

A new tower near Interstate 90 - especially the strobe light on top of it - brought howls of complaints. The light was turned off after it was deemed unnecessary because there was no airfield nearby as its designers had thought.

In April, neighbors protested an AirTouch Cellular plan to put a 150-foot tower on city property near 21st and Idaho streets.

The request for a permit was dropped, and city officials put a moratorium on approval of the towers until an ordinance could be drafted covering “wireless communications facilities.”

Federal law prevents banning towers from residential areas, said Post Falls planner Colin Cole. However, the city can try to make them less obtrusive.

Under its proposed ordinance, for example, Post Falls can require the planting of large trees and building of fences. Materials and colors must be “harmonious with the character of the surrounding neighborhood and environment.”

Unless special permission was given, towers would have to be the sleek monopole style under the ordinance.

Companies won’t need a special-use permit to put equipment on existing buildings or antennas, nor will they be required to disguise their towers as trees or steeples, as some communities have required.

Planners drafted the ordinance after looking at rules written for Coeur d’Alene and other other cities. They also got industry input, Cole said.

The ordinance has been approved by the planning commission, and needs a final OK from the city council.

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