Subject:
Title
IMPROVING WIRELESS COVERAGE IN VIENNA – THIRD WORK SESSION
Body
PURPOSE:
REVIEW DRAFT NEW ZONING REGULATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE PLAN LANGUAGE RELATED TO WIRELESS FACILITIES IN VIENNA.
KEY QUESTIONS:
Key questions for the Town Council to consider are:
Does the Town Council support the approach presented for regulating wireless facilities in Vienna?
For the purposes of releasing draft regulations for public comments, do the proposed regulations sufficiently balance the Town Council’s traditional desire to improve mobile coverage with neighborhood protections and community aesthetics?
Does the Town Council support the proposed new language for the Comprehensive Plan?
BACKGROUND SUMMARY:
On February 2, 2026, the Town Council approved a set of five priorities for calendar year 2026. The first priority listed was stated as follows:
Mobile Phone Coverage
Explore options for locations, providers and zoning issues to improve mobile phone coverage in Vienna.
Since that priority was established, staff have focused on this matter, building on work begun as a team led by the Department of Planning and Zoning and the Department of Economic Development in 2025.
On May 11, 2026, the Town Council held its first work session on this topic. During that work session, staff placed some questions before the Town Council, as part of the presentation and discussion. Also participating in the work session, and bringing their perspectives, were representatives of two of the major carriers (T-Mobile and AT&T) and of one company (Milestone) that develops towers on which carriers attach their antennas.
The questions at the work session addressed whether the Town Council wished to:
Amend the code to permit administrative-eligible applications (according to the State) to be reviewed administratively, and all other provisions of Code of Virginia Article 7.2.
Reconsider height limits for installations and locations for those height limits.
Consider whether to m...
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