Pleasanton Council Proposes New Wireless Rules
- Pleasanton’s City Council was set to vote April 21 on a new wireless ordinance and companion policies easing approvals for towers, small cells, and upgrades. - The proposal would add city wireless application fees and replace older rules with separate standards for macro towers, small cells, and modifications. - The push follows Planning Commission backing and a city effort to close coverage gaps while limiting visual impacts. (pleasantonweekly.com)
Pleasanton’s City Council was scheduled to decide April 21 whether to rewrite the city’s wireless rules for cell towers, small cells and upgrades to existing sites. (pleasantonweekly.com) (pleasantonca.portal.civicclerk.com) The proposal before the council would introduce an ordinance amending Chapter 18.110 of the Pleasanton Municipal Code, adopt new policies for wireless applications and add wireless application fees to the city’s master fee schedule. (pleasantonca.portal.civicclerk.com) City staff and supporters said the changes are aimed at making it easier for carriers to build new facilities or modify existing ones to improve weak service areas in Pleasanton. (pleasantonweekly.com) The rewrite splits wireless projects into three buckets: macro facilities, small wireless facilities and modifications to existing facilities, each with its own review path and standards. (pleasantonweekly.com) Small cells are the compact antennas often attached to streetlights or utility poles to boost capacity over short distances, while macro facilities are the larger towers or rooftop sites that cover broader areas. Pleasanton already has a 2019 council policy regulating small wireless facilities. (cityofpleasantonca.gov) The city’s Planning Commission unanimously recommended the package after reviewing it in March, sending the proposal on to the council for final action. (pleasantonweekly.com 1) (pleasantonweekly.com 2) Local coverage described the draft as a loosening of placement rules meant to expand service while still trying to limit visual impacts, including in residential and historic areas. (patch.com) (pleasantonweekly.com) The council agenda shows the item as a public hearing, so residents had a formal chance to comment before any vote. Pleasanton’s regular council meetings are held at 7 p.m. in the council chamber at 200 Old Bernal Avenue. (pleasantonca.portal.civicclerk.com) (cityofpleasantonca.gov) If approved, the new rules would replace Pleasanton’s older patchwork with a single framework for how wireless carriers seek permits, where equipment can go and what fees apply. (pleasantonca.portal.civicclerk.com) (pleasantonweekly.com)
