Pleasanton Council Weighs New Wireless Rules

Pleasanton’s City Council was scheduled to vote April 21 on a new wireless ordinance and related policies that would make it easier to build or upgrade cell facilities across the city. (pleasantonweekly.com) (pleasantonca.portal.civicclerk.com) The package covers macro towers, small cells and modifications to existing facilities, and it also adds wireless application fees to Pleasanton’s master fee schedule. (pleasantonca.portal.civicclerk.com) Pleasanton Weekly reported April 6 that the Planning Commission unanimously approved the proposal and sent it to the council with a recommendation to adopt it. (pleasantonweekly.com) The rewrite would update Chapter 18.110 of the Pleasanton Municipal Code, the city’s rules for personal wireless service facilities. Pleasanton’s current permit materials say larger wireless facilities outside the small-cell category are processed as design review applications. (cityofpleasantonca.gov) (pleasantonca.portal.civicclerk.com) Small cells are the compact antennas often attached to poles or other existing structures to fill in weak spots in a network, while macro facilities are the larger tower-style sites that cover wider areas. Pleasanton already has a separate City Council policy for small wireless facilities adopted in 2019. (cityofpleasantonca.gov 1) (cityofpleasantonca.gov 2) City permit documents say wireless applicants must show they have Federal Communications Commission and California Public Utilities Commission approvals where required, and must provide information on co-location when feasible. (cityofpleasantonca.gov) Those same city materials also point to federal “shot clock” deadlines that generally require local governments to act within 90 days for collocation requests and 150 days for other wireless siting applications. (cityofpleasantonca.gov) Patch’s preview of the council item said supporters framed the changes as a way to improve cell coverage, while some nearby residents worried about visual impacts and where new equipment could be placed. (patch.com) The council agenda described the April 21 item as an ordinance introduction plus resolutions adopting new wireless policies and fees, signaling Pleasanton was moving from review into formal action. (pleasantonca.portal.civicclerk.com)