| Draft Environmental Impact Statement Shorts School Road Am Antenna Structures 35 not require lighting for structures less than 200 feet tall, therefore only the tallest structure would be lit. At the apex of the 349-foot antenna, two blinking red hazard warning lights would be positioned opposite of each other to allow 180 degrees of coverage along a horizontal plane. Three smaller, non-blinking red hazard marker lights would be positioned near the mid-point of the antenna, approximately 175 feet high. All red lights would be vertically shielded to minimize visibility from the ground. Shielding on the 3 mid-point lights is intended to make them not directly visible from the ground for a distance of up to a mile. The seven shorter antennas would be painted a neutral color to blend with the landscape. In the simulations, this is gray. All areas of the property except those actually occupied by the utility structures, equipment shelter and service yard would continue to be available for agricultural use during operation. Alternative 2 Alternative 2 would include only Phase I of the Preferred Alternative and result in three radio antennas structures up to 200 feet AGL in height and one antenna structure up to 349 feet AGL in height. Each steel-lattice antenna structure would be triangular in construction and selfsupporting. Less of the property would be developed for radio antennas. All areas of the property except those actually occupied by the utility structures, equipment shelter and service yard would continue to be available for agricultural use during operation. No Action Alternative Under the No Action Alternative, the proposed project would not be developed on the site. 3.1.2.3 Land Use Plans and Policies The proposed project site is designated Riverway Commercial Farmland under the Snohomish County Comprehensive Plan. This land use designation does not have specific management objectives for visual resources. See Section 3.2 Land Use and Shorelines for further discussion of County objectives, goals, and policies. The Snohomish County Shoreline Master Program (SCSMP) Utility Policy 3 requires both that utility facilities be located so as not to obstruct or destroy scenic views, and that they be designed so as to do minimal damage to the aesthetic qualities of the shoreline area. Given siting constraints, the antennas have been designed to have the minimum possible visual impact for a project of this type, including shortening the antenna height and eliminating guy wires. The proposed project has been modified significantly to eliminate as many tall antennas as possible. As currently proposed, the facility would utilize only one 349-foot, free-standing antenna. The remaining antennas would be free-standing and below 200 feet in height. The FCC requirements for light and painting are applicable to only the 349-foot antenna. The shorter antenna would be painted in a neutral color to blend with the surroundings. |