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149 <br />Guidelines to Identify Optimal Tower Sites within Orange County. <br />The MTP will identify areas of environmental and cultural concern to discourage <br />improper siting of telecommunication facilities. To complement the required FCC -NEPA <br />regulatory process, Orange County will identify the following natural or cultural features: <br />Mapped Feature <br />Page Number within the Land Use <br />Element of the Orange County <br />Comprehensive Plan <br />Scenic Road Corridors <br />2.2 -56 <br />Historic Sites <br />2.2-46 <br />Archaeological Remains Potential <br />2.2 -51 <br />Wildlife Corridors <br />2.2 -43 <br />Natural Areas / Wildlife Habitats <br />2.2 -34 <br />Wetlands <br />2.2 -15 <br />Flood lain and Stream Buffers <br />2.2 -10 <br />Properties under recorded conservation <br />easements <br />Prime Farmland <br />2.2 -19 <br />As these documents are modified over time, when the BOCC officially modify their <br />content, the natural or cultural feature maps are automatically revised for their application <br />to the MTP — Wireless Element. Figure 2 depicts these natural and cultural features. <br />By avoiding these natural or cultural features, telecommunication tower developers can <br />document their attempt to minimize visual impacts and potential negative environmental <br />consequences that towers may create. <br />Preferred Tower Sites. The MTP will identify lands within the County Zoning <br />jurisdiction that: <br />1. Are industrially- or commercially- zoned, <br />2. Are forested, and <br />3. Are sites still under consideration as telecommunication sites. (Please refer to the <br />list in Appendix A.) <br />Identifying these lands in the MTP will assist with prioritizing the preferred location for <br />potential telecommunication sites . Figure 3 illustrates some of the preferred locations for <br />potential tower sites within Orange County. <br />Emergency Management Services Cellular Coverage. The on -going County <br />Communications Plan provides information helpful to locating gaps or poor coverage <br />within Orange County in the emergency management communications network. Figure 4 <br />shows the present deficiencies within Orange County. In combination with Figures 1, 2, <br />and 3, Figure 4 supplements a factual, objective basis for cell tower siting decisions that <br />may serve the citizens of Orange County by enhancing the emergency management <br />communications network. <br />x <br />