Small Cell Infrastructure in Denver

The City and County of Denver (Colorado, USA) is receiving growing numbers of requests from wireless providers and wireless infrastructure companies to construct small cell facilities in the public right of way. As a result Denver Public Works has created a small publication about how they are working with companies to bring small cell infrastructure to the city. Its available here.

Here is one of the points from that publication:

9. Can the City limit or standardize Small Cell infrastructure?

As mentioned above, the City is currently exploring its policies and ordinances for Small Cell infrastructure within the parameters of Federal and State law. Under current law, it is not clear how the City can restrict height, design, or location (unless conflicting) of Small Cell infrastructure. However, as the City as a whole considers new polices and rulemaking, the City Public Works Department is having success in coordinating expectations and recommendations through enhanced communication efforts at the outset of each company’s program. So far each applicant has been receptive to:

• Considering standardizing pole design elements, color, location, etc. to meet intent and character of existing infrastructure in the public right of way.
• Limiting pole heights to match existing street lighting and other poles in the public right of way.
• Generally avoiding placing poles adjacent to parks and historical places.
• Encouraging pole and equipment designs that enclose as much equipment as possible to minimize visual impact.
• Co-locating equipment onto existing infrastructure wherever feasible.
• Installing consistent infrastructure that does not discriminate based on neighborhood type, demographic, or character.
• Exploring new concepts in combining equipment from multiple companies into specially designed poles.

Public Works has placed top priortiy in coodinating design elements for proposed Small Cell infrastructure, and how companies should maximize aesthetics while minimizing congestion of the public right of way. Below are several examples of Small Cell equipment recently constructed in Denver.

You can download the document from here.