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Home My WebLink AboutCOR-2021-16 - Telecommunications Tower Land LeasesStaff Report Corporate Services Department REPORT TO: DATE OF MEETING: SUBMITTED BY PREPARED BY WARD(S) INVOLVED DATE OF REPORT REPORT NO. Community and Infrastructure Services Committee May 10th, 2021 J K, R www.kitchenerca Murray, Dan Director, Technology Innovation and Services, 519- 741-2200 ext. 7825 Murray, Dan Director, 741-2200 ext. 7825 Wards 3, 6, 8,9 April 28, 2021 COR -2021-16 Technology Innovation and Services, 519 - SUBJECT: Telecommunications Tower Land Leases — 35 Sportsworld Crossing (Sportsworld Arena) and 135 Homer Watson Boulevard (Land Parcel at Ottawa St. Homer Watson) RECOMMENDATION: That the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to sign an agreement with Signum Wireless to enter a land lease for the purpose of installation of a telecommunications tower at 135 Homer Watson Blvd, said agreement to be to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor; and That the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to sign an agreement with Signum Wireless to enter a land lease for the purpose of installation of a telecommunications tower at 35 Sportsworld Crossing, said agreement to be to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor. REPORT HIGHLIGHTS: • The purpose of this report is to obtain authorization for the City to enter land lease agreements for the purpose of installing two telecommunications towers. • The City will receive revenue that will be directed to fund community benefiting Digital Kitchener initiatives such as public Wi-fi and public access computers. • The City has followed the Telecommunications and Antenna Plan (Site Plan) process for review and approval of these sites. No objections or concerns from the community were raised through that process. • This report supports the delivery of core services. BACKGROUND: In early 2019, the City of Kitchener approved its first land lease to locate a telecommunications tower at the Fire Station 7 site on Huron Road. The legal agreements were completed and executed in October 2019 and the tower construction began in January *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 2 2021. The tower is nearing completion and will be brought into service in the coming months. A photograph of the tower at Fire Station 7 (under construction) is shown below: Figure 1. — Photograph of Fire Station 7 Telecommunication Tower (under construction) Two new land lease opportunities were brought forward by the same company and have been assessed through the City's Telecommunications and Antenna Plan (Site Plan) process. Staff are recommending that the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to proceed with execution of the land lease agreements for these two sites outlined in this report subject to final approvals from Industry Canada and the City's legal review. There are several benefits to locating telecommunication towers on City land including: • The City can enable improved cellular capacity in underserved areas of the City. • The City can require a tower that will support co -location of services on one tower by various providers thereby preventing unneeded tower proliferation in the City. • The City can influence the style of tower to be built that is appropriate for the space and neighborhood. (e.g., tri -pole, monopole, shrouded with no visible antennas) • The City has the option to install its own communications antenna on the tower in the future should it be needed. Revenue negotiated from the land leases will be directed back to support digital inclusion and transformation through Digital Kitchener initiatives. REPORT: The two locations being recommended for a telecommunications land lease are 35 Sportsworld Crossing (Sportsworld Arena) and 135 Homer Watson Boulevard (land parcel). 3 35 Sportsworld Drive - Sportsworld Arena The Sportsworld area of Kitchener has been identified as an area needing improved coverage by cellular carriers for a number of years. For this proposal, a 50m monopole tower would be located beside the Sportsworld arena building. All antennas would be mounted inside the pole and shrouded and the tower can support multiple carriers. As the area immediately around Sportsworld Arena is commercial space, there are no residential considerations with the placement of this tower. This proposal meets the City's telecommunications tower protocol considerations, and the Telecommunications and Antenna Plan (Site Plan) is Approved in Principle waiting on final changes to drawings. There is significant interest in improving cellular services in this area and this tower is likely to be constructed in 2021 if approved. A map showing the location of the tower and photographic rendering of the proposed tower for Sportsworld Arena are shown below. Figure 2. - Proposed location of telecommunication tower at 35 Sportsworld Crossing Figure 3. — Photographic Rendering of Proposed Tower at 35 Sportsworld Drive 21 135 Homer Watson Boulevard — Land Parcel between Ottawa St / Homer Watson Roundabout and Hwy 8 This area of Kitchener needs better wireless signals and is of great interest among cellular providers for a new tower. Signum Wireless identified a small parcel of land that the City owned beside the highway and has proposed a 50m tri -pole shrouded telecommunications tower for that location. This tower can handle multiple providers equipment and reduce the need for more towers in the area. A Telecommunications and Antenna Plan (Site Plan) review process was started in 2020. As there are residential properties that fall within the 150m notification zone (3 times the tower height) notifications were sent to those property owners. There were no objections or questions raised through that engagement process, and the proposal has been approved through the City's review process. The specific location of the tower and a rendering of the proposed telecommunication tower is shown below: Figure 3 - Proposed location of telecommunication tower at 135 Homer Watson Boulevard Proposed Signum 50m Lattice Tri -pole tourer . � I Figure 4. — Photographic Rendering of Proposed Tower at 135 Homer Watson Boulevard 5 STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT: This report supports the delivery of core services. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The City will financially benefit from hosting the telecommunications towers on municipal - owned land. The structure of the agreements ensures that the City receives annual revenue from hosting the tower and includes a revenue sharing model where the City will receive additional revenue when the second or third carrier leases tower space from the tower owner. Each land lease agreement will result in a minimum of $14,000 per year upon tower construction. Actual revenue will be negotiated through the finalization of the agreement. As per the recommendation approved by Council in report FCS -017-096, proceeds that can be negotiated from hosting third party telecommunication equipment will be directed to fund community -benefitting Digital Kitchener initiatives. Examples of Digital Kitchener initiatives would be free public Wi-Fi installations, public access to computer programs and outdoor Wi-Fi installations which are an important theme of Digital Kitchener. We have seen the critical importance of the digital inclusion initiatives throughout the pandemic as people have lost access to public Wi-Fi and access to technology through previously available services. We are eager to expand these programs but are limited in available funding. Capital Budget — The recommendation has no negative impact on the Capital Budget. Operating Budget — The recommendation has no negative impact on the Operating Budget. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM — A letter and information pamphlet was sent directly to all residential property owners with 150m of the tower location for 135 Homer Watson Boulevard as per the City's telecommunication and antenna protocol. The proposed tower at 35 Sportsworld Crossing did not require notification as there were no residential properties within 150m of the tower. Sportsworld Arena staff reached out directly to the immediate commercial neighbours to discuss the proposal. This report has also been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the council / committee meeting. CONSULT — Residential property owners were provided the opportunity to raise concerns or ask questions through the Telecommunications and Antenna Plan approval process — there were no concerns or questions raised. PREVIOUS REPORTS/AUTHORITIES: FCS -017-096 — Authorization to enter License Agreement with Bell Mobility Inc. to Enhance LTE cellular signal inside Kitchener Market. COR -10-001 — 1440 Huron Road (Fire Station 7) Cellular Tower Land Lease APPROVED BY: Victoria Raab, General Manager Corporate Services D