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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/20/2026 Planning Commission May 20, 2026 7:00 PM Fridley City Hall, 7071 University Avenue NE Minutes Call to Order Chair Hansen called the Planning Commission Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Present Pete Borman Aaron Brom Mark Hansen Mike Heuchert Aaron Klemz Ross Meisner Paul Nealy Absent Paul Nealy Others Present Nancy Abts, Senior Planner Approval of Meeting Minutes 1. Approve October 15, 2025, Planning Commission Minutes Motion by Commissioner Meisner to approve the minutes. Seconded by Commissioner Klemz. Upon a voice vote, all voting aye, Chair Hansen declared the motion carried unanimously. Public Hearing 2. Conditional Use Permit, CUP #26-01, by AMS Wireless on Behalf of Public Safety Towers nd Company for a New 125-Foot-Tall Telecommunications Tower at 1241 72 Avenue NE Motion by Commissioner Klemz to open the public hearing. Seconded by Commissioner Borman. Upon a voice vote, all voting aye, Chair Hansen declared the motion carried unanimously, and the public hearing was opened at 7:03 p.m. Planning Commission 5/20/2026 Minutes Page 2 Nancy Abts, Senior Planner, presented a request for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a nd telecommunications tower on the existing property at 1241 72 Avenue NE. AMS Wireless has filed the application on behalf of Public Safety Towers, and the property is owned by CTE Properties and used by Crysteel. She provided regulatory context and reviewed previous approvals. She presented details of the application, site description and history, code requirements, and recommended that the Commission hold a public hearing. She stated that staff recommends approval of the request, subject to the stipulations noted in the staff report. Commissioner Brom noted a condition requiring the ability to support two additional wireless facilities and asked for more information. Ms. Abts replied that the intention is to somewhat consolidate the number of wireless facilities throughout the city. She stated that it is not uncommon for towers to support multiple facilities. Commissioner Klemz recognized that this location is outside of the overlay district. He recognized that the applicant states in their narrative that they considered nine properties within the district, trying to find an opportunity, and asked if perhaps the overlay district needs to be updated. Ms. Abts replied that this is the first application the City has had in 11 years. She stated that if they continue to receive more applications, it would be a signal that they need to reevaluate the overlay district. Commissioner Borman asked if this site would require a standby generator. Charlie Mischel of AMS Wireless did not believe this site would require a standby generator. Commissioner Borman asked if the applicant anticipates any issues with grounding due to the soil conditions. Mr. Mischel stated that phase one was completed, and an additional soil and groundwater plan will be completed. Commissioner Meisner referenced the language that the tower “would blend in with the surrounding environment” and asked for more information. Mr. Mischel stated that this is a light industrial area with light poles, and the monopole will look similar. He stated that there are stealth, tree designs, but that would look out of place in this area. Commissioner Borman questions why the power easement is run through the property to the south and not the shorter distance to the road to the north. Mr. Mischel stated that they would run the power underground in a trench from the back of the property. Commissioner Borman asked if a structure would be constructed for equipment. Mr. Mischel replied that the equipment would be outdoors. He commented that they would not have a shelter structure because of the small size of the installation. Commissioner Heuchert stated that the other examples are from quite a few years ago and asked what led to locating the tower on this property. Mr. Mischel stated that they received a search ring from a carrier that has a dead spot and approaching properties within the overlay, but that did not work out. He stated that this location is within the quarter-mile search ring from the carrier. Planning Commission 5/20/2026 Minutes Page 3 Commissioner Meisner asked why barbed wire would not be allowed, acknowledging that the applicant would be worried about the security of the tower. Ms. Abts replied that barbed wire is allowed in specific locations to protect specific and sensitive things. She stated that more secluded, heavier industrial uses are sometimes allowed barbed wire or electric fencing. Commissioner Meisner asked if there was surveillance on the site. Mr. Mischel replied that Crysteel Trucking has cameras and everything would be locked, with a separate lock on this property as well, which provides two levels of security. Chair Hansen invited public comments. Pam Reynolds, 1241 Norton Avenue NE, commented that this structure would be visible from her back door. She referenced the City Ordinance, which defines the overlay and the intention of the overlay. She commented that this tower will be very close to residential properties and stated that while the City Code specifies a distance of 300 feet from residential properties, the FCC and World Health Organization specify a distance of 1,300 feet from residential properties. She commented on the noise generated from the high power lines, Cummins, Medtronic, and Highway 65. She also spoke about property value impacts and did not believe it was fair that one property, Crysteel, would benefit from this while the other properties would not. She noted a previous request for a tower, in 2005, that was recommended for denial by the Planning Commission because of its proximity to Springbrook, but was then approved by the City Council. She asked if the EQEC had reviewed this request and provided a recommendation on who would monitor the RF frequency, whether the tower would interfere with other capabilities, and whether there would be flashing lights on the tower. She asked the Commission to deny the request. Ms. Abts replied that the application was reviewed by members from all departments, and no concerns were raised about safety impacts from the tower. Mr. Mischel stated that there would not be any flashing lights on the tower, and the proposal would meet all requirements of the FCC and FAA. He shared information about radio frequency levels for common household items, comparing those levels to the level that would be generated from the tower. He stated that the goal would be to allow space for all three major carriers on the tower, and there would be no interference generated from the tower. He stated that this area is a dead spot, which has led to the proposal. He stated that there is a property within the overlay near to this site, so the residents would still see the tower in that location as well. Commissioner Meisner asked if there would be anything on the site that would generate noise. Mr. Mischel stated that they would not generate noise on this property. He stated that if they had a generator, it would only run if the power were out. He stated that the noise from the equipment would only be heard 20 to 30 feet from the tower, which would still be on the secured site. Planning Commission 5/20/2026 Minutes Page 4 Commissioner Klemz stated that the EQEC was not made a part of the review, but he is the Chair of that Commission and therefore is still part of the discussion. He asked staff about who received notification for the meeting. Ms. Abts replied that the notification radius is 350 feet from the subject property, and the City also publishes information about public hearings on its website and in the Star Tribune. Commissioner Meisner referenced the resident’s concern with fire from a tower and asked if that is a concern. Mr. Mischel replied that he has been in this industry for almost 30 years and has not heard anything that was not caused by someone starting a fire in that area. He stated that there are lightning rods on the towers, and inside the cabinet space, there is a mechanism to keep fire self- contained if that were to occur. Natividad Seefeld, Park Plaza resident, asked why a tower is being placed next to a manufacturing facility that has environmental issues and works with flammable materials. She asked if studies would be done on that property to ensure that environmental issues are not persisting on that property. She asked if the security of the tower would be placed on Crysteel or whether the tower company would have its own security. She asked how this would impact taxpayers. Mr. Mischel replied that there would be no impact on taxpayers. He stated that Crysteel is providing a small area of land, and everything else is controlled and completed by Public Safety Towers. Commissioner Klemz referenced the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and asked if the City Code complies with those regulations and whether there would be any limits on the City’s decision. Ms. Abts stated that the Overlay District Ordinance was created in response to the 1996 Telecommunications Act. She stated that when the City recodified the Ordinance recently, there were no issues or challenges identified. Ms. Reynolds referenced the O-3 overlay district, which includes a list of where things can be. She stated that the municipal garage is a listed location, and perhaps that would be a better choice for the location. Ms. Abts replied that there is a tower at the public works garage site. Commissioner Meisner noted that the location would also be outside of the applicant’s search window. Commissioner Meisner asked for information on decommissioning and/or removal of towers. Mr. Mischel stated that each of the sites is based on a lease, noting that this lease is probably 25 to 30 years. He stated that if the carrier does not want to extend the lease, the site has to be decommissioned and returned to natural conditions. He stated that if the site is decommissioned, everything would be removed. Motion by Commissioner Meisner to close the public hearing. Seconded by Commissioner Borman. Upon a voice vote, all voting aye, Chair Hansen declared the motion carried unanimously, and the public hearing was closed at 7:53 p.m. Planning Commission 5/20/2026 Minutes Page 5 Commissioner Borman stated that he has no issues with the proposal as presented. Commissioner Meisner commented that there are a number of towers in the city already. Commissioner Klemz stated that this would be a good opportunity to review the overlay district in the future to determine if there is additional capability or whether the boundaries would need to be adjusted. He recognized that there are federal laws that preempt local regulations, and given that, he is persuaded that this is an acceptable use as it fits the criteria. He acknowledged the comments from Ms. Reynolds but did not agree that the WHO has actual setback requirements or recommendations. He stated that he recommends approval of the request. Chair Hansen stated that he is empathetic to the residents' concerns, but believes that the use makes sense, noting that this is driven by the demand of the public for cell phones. He stated that if this were placed in the overlay district, it would be similarly visible to the resident. Commissioner Klemz noted that the overlay district comes within one-half block of this property. Motion by Commissioner Meisner to recommend approval of Conditional Use Permit, CUP #26-01, with the provided stipulations. Seconded by Commissioner Heuchert. Upon a voice vote, all voting aye, Chair Hansen declared the motion carried unanimously. Chair Hansen noted that this item is scheduled to go before the City Council at the June 8, 2026, meeting. Other Business 3. Elect Vice Chair Ms. Abts stated that a Vice Chair needs to be elected, noting that the Chair has been appointed by the City Council. Chair Hansen asked if Commissioner Meisner would be interested in continuing to serve in the position. Commissioner Meisner stated that he would be willing to continue to serve. Motion by Commissioner Brom to elect Ross Meisner as Vice Chair of the Planning Commission. Seconded by Commissioner Klemz. Upon a voice vote, all voting aye, Chair Hansen declared the motion carried unanimously. Adjournment Planning Commission 5/20/2026 Minutes Page 6 Motion by Commissioner Borman to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Heuchert. Upon a voice vote, all voting aye, Chair Hansen declared the motion carried unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Nancy Abts, Staff Liaison