New cell towers in Heber City must stand over 300 feet away from existing homes, according to a new ordinance the Heber City Council approved Tuesday, Oct. 6.
The towers must also be set back 150% of their height from residential property lines. For an 80-foot tower, that would be over 90 feet from the nearest residential lot line.
Community Development Director Tony Kholer said the setback would be measured to the center of the pole when measuring horizontally.
“Also clarified that any applications in existence prior to this land use application would be subject to the new ordinance,” he said. “Existing dwellings would be those in existence prior to a land use application for a monopole.”
The code change also increased the height limit on monopoles from 35 and 65 feet to 80 feet in certain city zones.
That’s because cell phone carrier antennas must be separated by 10 feet. The 80-foot maximum allows the pole to accommodate three carriers, so fewer poles are needed. There’s also a 1-mile spacing requirement to separate towers.
The code changes come after Heber residents raised concerns in May about a plan to install a 65-foot cell tower along East Center Street in downtown Heber.
Neighbors said the tower would impact views. One resident worried it would affect locals with hearing aids. Radiofrequency emissions from cell phones can sometimes cause problems for hearing aid users.
No cell towers will be allowed in downtown Heber, from 500 North to 600 South and 600 West to 600 East.
Heber City is a financial supporter of KPCW.
