04-15-1999 Regular Meeting and Public Hearing of the La Porte Planning and Zoning Commission

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Planning and Zoning Colession Minutes of April 15, 1999 Page 4 of 5 Mr. Goldman named several applications this service has helped provide for other cities: • Fire Departments, on the way to emergency scenes, use to download building plans. ■ Police Departments use to positively identify people in the field by using a camera devise and transmitting a signal to a database at the station. ■ Meter reading. • Traffic light control. Metricom has installed the network in the San Franciso Bay Area, Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington DC, a mini -network in Manhatten, as well as several airports and universities. They are in the process of negotiating rights -of -way in ten market areas; Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Philadelphia, Boston, etc. and hope to build out across the entire United States. Comparable franchise fees will be attached. Mr. Goldman noted that the proposed pole -top radio locations shown on the map is based on City boundaries and approximately four radios per square mile. At the time of installation, an accurate map will be provided that will show locations approved by the light company, Metricom and the City. John Armstrong noted that technically, these radios are considered telecommunication facilities per the City's cell tower ordinance. In order to permit the radios, each would have to be dealt with on a case by case basis, with exorbitant fees to the applicant and height requirements that would require a variance in every instance. City staff did not want to burden the applicant, nor did they want to grant approval to the applicant without first presenting the request to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Mr. Armstrong indicated that a franchise approval would be sufficient in this case and if the Commission agreed, a franchise agreement would be presented to City Council for consideration. Motion by Michael Jetty to recommend City Council approval of a franchise agreement with Metricom, Inc. for a radio placement plan to install and operate a wireless, digital, data communications radio network within public rights -of -way. Second by Dottie Kaminski. All were in favor and the motion passed.