Dear fellow PVARC members,
In advance of next Tuesday's (August 25) Rancho Palos Verdes Planning Commission meeting the city has revised its proposed amendments to RPV's amateur radio antenna ordinance. These revisions reflect some, but not all, of the comments made by ham operators during the July 28 Planning Commission meeting. The revised proposed ordinance is attached as a PDF file for your downloading and reading.
Some improvements in this revised version are: 1) continuing to allow lattice-type antenna structures (which most ham towers are nowadays, but would have been banned under the previous code amendment draft); 2) if a full-size mock-up of a proposed antenna structure cannot be fabricated/installed for community review instead the applicant may use a photographic simulation of the tower/antenna and homes; 3) the "by-right" height for ground-mounted antennas without any permit or city authorization has been restored from the proposed 12' above ground to the existing code's 16' that has prevailed since 1999; and 4) guy wires may be used if they help minimize an antenna structure's mass (in the previous draft all antenna guy wires would have been banned).
Code Amendment 17.76.020 – Antennas. C. Noncommercial Amateur Radio Antennas.
You may also speak during the Planning Commission meeting held using Zoom. After the meeting agenda is published on the City website a Zoom meeting link will be provided to those requesting to speak. All others may watch the Planning Commission meeting via the City website's streamed feed.
The PVARC board of directors' position is that the City's existing non-commercial antenna code--carefully drafted in 1999 by a working group of PVARC members, the City's Director of Community Development, and several community members--has served well and should be retained. The existing 1999 code, in our opinion, allows the flexibility for meeting needs of ham operators, their neighbors, and the City for the very few amateur towers that are requested.
On another subject...this weekend is still International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend. Although we won't be at Pt. Vicente Lighthouse due to COVID-19 if you have HF capability please try working some of the 328 lighthouses around the world that will be on the air.
73,
Diana, AI6DF