HomeMy WebLinkAbout2625-21 - ADMIN Ordinance - City Council - 2021/08/23Ordinance No. 2625-21
City of St. Louis Park
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Ordinance amending St. Louis Park City Code Chapters 6, 8 and 14 related to
building readiness
The City of St. Louis Park does ordain:
Section 1. Section 6-1 of the St. Louis Park City Code is hereby amended by adding underlined
language.
Conduit means a conduit (e.g., HDPE) system capable of housing and protecting fiber
optic cable between a handhole and telecommunications point of presence. Conduit can be
installed via open trench, plowing, or directional drilling.
Commercial unit means any individually owned or rented tenant space in a building, or
portion of a building, subject to the requirements of the building and fire codes approved for an
occupancy use other than residential occupancy.
Future high-speed broadband service means offering a minimum one gigabit connection
capable service, in addition to any service provided by the incumbent and dominant (largest
market share in St. Louis Park, Minnesota) cable television and wireline telephone providers.
Gigabit connection means a connection using a transmission technology based on the
Ethernet frame format and protocol used in local area networks (LANs), and which provides a
symmetrical (download and upload) data rate of 1 billion bits per second.
Handhole means a shallow form of manhole giving access to a top row of ducts in an
underground telecommunications system.
Innerduct is smaller conduit (or tube) used to subdivide large ducts for the placement
of optical fiber cables in the underground conduit system.
Telecommunications point of presence (POP) means the point at which two or more
different networks or communication devices build a connection with each other. POP mainly
refers to an access point, location or facility that connects to and helps other devices establish a
connection with the public telephone system, cable television system, and/or Internet.
Wiring closet means a wiring rack that connects outside lines with internal lines. It is
used to connect public or private lines coming into the building to internal networks and to
dwelling units and commercial units.
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Ordinance No. 2625-21 2
Section 2. Chapter 6 of the St. Louis Park City Code is hereby amended by adding Article IX.
Article IX. Broadband Readiness
Sec. 6-240 – Purpose.
The purpose of this section is to implement the City Council goal of making St. Louis Park a
technology connected community and increase competition and consumer choice for
broadband services. This section requires new construction and substantially expanded
buildings to prepare for communication technology by requiring minimum improvements to
accommodate the technology as it becomes available.
Sec. 6-241 – Applicable Buildings.
(a) New buildings.
(b) Existing buildings which expand the gross square footage of the building by more than
50 percent.
Sec. 6-242 – Exempt Buildings.
(a) Accessory buildings.
(b) Single-family dwellings.
(c) Two-family dwellings.
Sec. 6-243 – General Requirements.
(a) New buildings shall complete items 1 - 3 below.
(1) Applicable buildings shall have dedicated copper twisted pair wire, fiber optic,
coaxial cable, or other wired installations capable of supporting at least gigabit
connections to each dwelling and commercial unit from each building’s
telecommunications point of presence to each internal wiring closet that may
exist.
(2) Each dwelling and commercial unit shall have a minimum of two (2) dedicated
copper twisted pair wire, fiber optic, coaxial cable, or other wired connections
from the unit to the telecommunications point of presence (often through a
wiring closet), each capable of supporting a minimum of one gigabit connection.
(3) For each building required to serve dwelling and comme rcial units as described
in this section, one 4-inch (or larger) conduit, suitable and used exclusively to
accommodate one or more future high-speed broadband services, shall be
installed underground starting in a 2-foot by 3-foot (or larger) handhole at a
point on the building property abutting public right -of-way, to a point in the
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Ordinance No. 2625-21 3
building’s telecommunications point of presence. Said 4 -inch (or larger) conduit
shall be capped on both ends so as to protect it until used to support a future
high-speed broadband service. Each cable installed in this conduit shall be
enclosed in innerduct.
Sec. 6-244 – Testing and Certification Requirements.
In copper twisted pair wire, fiber optic, coaxial cable, or other wired installations, certification is
achieved through a thorough series of cabling tests in accordance with Telecommunications
Industry Association (TIA) or International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards. A
copy of said industry standard cabling tests and certifications that meets the requirements of
Section 6-243 is to be paid for and provided by the building permit holder to the City of St. Louis
Park before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued.
Sec. 6-245 – Effective Date.
All provisions of this Article shall be required for applicable buildings permitted for construction
on or after January 1, 2022.
Section 3. Section 8-1 of the St. Louis Park City Code is hereby amended by adding underlined
language.
Video Surveillance System means a continuous video surveillance system including
cameras, cabling, and digital video recording from all cameras.
Section 4. Section 8-399 of the St. Louis Park City Code is hereby amending by adding
Sec. 8-399. Inspections.
(a) Enclosed parking facilities. The vehicle parking facility licensee must provide access to
enclosed parking facilities throughout the year as requested by the city to perform air
quality and ventilation equipment inspections, and to verify other requirements of this
section.
(b) Multilevel parking facilities. Multilevel parking facilities must be inspected annually by a
qualified civil or structural engineer who is registered and licensed by the state. The
engineer must provide evidence of experience in the field of structural or civil
engineering. The licensee must provide access to the facility as requested by the city to
verify compliance with the requirements of this section.
(c) Exception. Multilevel parking facilities less than five years old are exempt from the
engineer inspection and reporting requirements set forth in this section.
(Ord. No. 2181-00, § 4(16-312D.), 11-6-2000)
Section 5. Section 8-403 of the St. Louis Park City Code is hereby amending by adding
underlined language.
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Ordinance No. 2625-21 4
Sec. 8-403. Security requirements.
All enclosed parking facilities and multi-level parking facilities permitted for construction on or
after January 1, 2022 shall meet the following requirements to enhance public safety and deter
crimes before issuance of a license.
(a) Lighting.
1. Fully enclosed parking garages shall have lighting fixtures provided and maintained
that provide a minimum average of 5.0 footcandles of illumination measured at 48”
above the floor throughout the entire parking area, stairways, and exits to avoid
dark or hidden areas and for the Video Surveillance System to effectively function at
all times.
2. Multi-level parking structures shall have lighting fixtures provided and maintained
that comply with zoning code section 36-361(l)(8).
(b) Video surveillance system.
1. Cameras shall be located to provide complete coverage of the entire parking facility.
Including entrances to stairs and elevators.
2. Cameras shall have sufficient resolution to capture license plates of vehicles entering
and exiting the facility.
3. Cameras shall be equipped to automatically compensate for changing light
conditions to maintain required resolution.
4. Images from the Video Surveillance System shall be recorded and retained for a
minimum of 72 hours. The Police Department may either request copies of the
recordings or obtain a search warrant or an administrative search warrant in order
to collect the recordings.
(c) Emergency Call Station. All licensed parking facilities shall have a minimum of one
Emergency Call Station installed in a visible location on every level of parking. The
Emergency Call Station must initiate a light and sound alarm and provide
communication to a 24-hour monitored location.
(d) Signage. All multilevel and enclosed parking facilities shall have clearly visible signage
near all structure entrances and exits stating that the facility is under video surveillance.
Secs. 8-404--8-420. Reserved.
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Ordinance No. 2625-21 5
Section 6. Chapter 14 of the St. Louis Park City Code is hereby amending by adding Article VII,
Sections 14-200, 14-201, 14-202, 14-203, and 14-204
ARTICLE VII - PUBLIC SAFETY 800 MHZ RADIO BUILDING COVERAGE
Sec. 14-200. - Adequate radio coverage.
Except as provided in section 14-201, no person shall construct any building, construct
an addition to any building that increases the gross floor area of the building by more than 20
percent, change the occupancy classification of more than 50 percent of the floor area of any
building or cause the same to be done to a building, if such building fails to support adequate
radio coverage for the Minnesota Regional Radio Communications System, including but not
limited to firefighters and police officers. For the purposes of this article, parking garages,
parking ramps, stair shafts, elevators and stairwells are included in the definition of the term
"building." For purposes of this article, adequate radio coverage shall be an average received
field strength of no less than 93 dBm, or one percent BER, measured at 30 to 36 inches above
the floor over 90 percent of the area of each floor including the basement in the building and
other critical areas determined by the fire chief or the fire chief's designee such as fire
command centers, stairwells, elevators, high hazard areas, basements and parking garages and
ramps. Without an in-building radio system, only the received signal level standard must be
achieved, as the talk-out path is equivalent to the talk-in path in this regional radio system.
Sec. 14-201. - Exempt buildings.
The requirements of section 14-200 shall not apply to:
(1) Any single-family or duplex dwelling unit or accessory building.
(2) Any building of less than 25,000 square feet in gross floor area.
(3) Any building constructed of wood frame; provided that such building does not
contain any metal construction or any below grade levels or below grade parking
areas.
Sec. 14-202. - Amplification systems allowed.
Buildings required by section 14-200 to support adequate radio coverage which cannot
support the required level of radio coverage required by section 14-200 shall be equipped with
approved bi-directional 800 MHz signal enhancement systems as needed. If amplification is
used in the system, all required FCC authorizations must be obtained by the building owner
prior to the use of the system. If any part of the installed system or systems contains an
electrically powered component, the system shall be capable of operating on an independent
battery and/or generator system for a continuous period of at least 12 hours without external
power input. The battery system shall automatically charge in the presence of an external
power input.
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Sec. 14-203. - Testing procedures.
The following testing procedures shall apply to each building or structure required by
section 14-200 to support adequate radio coverage:
(a) Acceptance test procedure. Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, the
owner of the building shall arrange for testing conducted by individuals acceptable
to the fire chief to ensure the building conforms with the requirements of section
14-200. Testing procedures shall conform to practices adopted and on-file with the
building official.
(b) Annual tests. When an in-building radio system is required to support the required
level of radio coverage, the owner of the building shall arrange for testing conducted
by individuals acceptable to the fire chief of all active components of the system,
including but not limited to amplifiers, power supplies and backup batteries, a
minimum of once every 12 months. Amplifiers shall be tested to ensure that the gain
is the same as it was upon initial installation and acceptance. Backup batteries and
power supplies shall be tested under load for a period of one hour to verify that they
will properly operate during an actual power outage. If within the one -hour test
period, in the opinion of the testing technician, the battery exhibits symptoms of
failure, the test shall be extended for additional one-hour periods until the testing
technician confirms the integrity of the battery. All other active components shall be
checked to determine that they are operating within the manufacturer's
specifications for the intended purpose. All deficiencies found shall be corrected and
testing repeated. All test results shall be submitted to the fire chief within 30 days of
the test date.
(c) Five-year tests. When an in-building radio system is required to support the required
level of radio coverage in addition to the annual test, the building owner shall
arrange for testing conducted by individuals acceptable to the fire chief to perform a
radio coverage test a minimum of once every five years to ensure that the radio
system continues to meet the requirements of the original acceptance test. A radio
test shall also be performed whenever there is a change in or to the building that
may have an impact on coverage. Examples of the types of changes that may change
radio coverage are interior remodeling that adds and/or changes partitions, removal
of windows, and the addition of metalized treatment to window surfaces. The
procedure described by practices adopted by the city shall be used for these tests.
All test results shall be submitted to the fire chief within 30 days of the test date.
(d) Field testing. Fire and police personnel, after providing reasonable notice to the
owner or the owner's representative, shall have the right to enter onto the property
to conduct testing to be certain that the required level of radio coverage is present.
Sec. 14-204. – Effective Date.
All provisions of this Article shall be required for applicable buildings permitted for construction
on or after January 1, 2022 to enhance public safety.
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Ordinance No. 2625-21 7
Section 7. This ordinance shall take effect January 1, 2022.
Reviewed for administration: Adopted by the city council August 23, 2021
Kim Keller, city manager Jake Spano, mayor
Attest: Approved as to form and execution:
Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Soren Mattick, city attorney
First Reading August 16, 2021
Second Reading August 23, 2021
Date of Publication September 9, 2021
Date Ordinance takes effect January 1, 2022
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