Pleasanton Council Eyes Wireless Rules Expansion

Pleasanton City Council was scheduled to vote April 21 on a new wireless ordinance and companion policies aimed at making it easier to build and upgrade cell facilities citywide. (pleasantonca.portal.civicclerk.com) (pleasantonweekly.com) The agenda item covered three pieces at once: an amendment to Chapter 18.110 of the Pleasanton Municipal Code, new application policies for wireless facilities, and added wireless application fees. (pleasantonca.portal.civicclerk.com) (pleasantonweekly.com) The proposed rules apply to macro towers, small cells and modifications to existing sites. Small cells are the compact antennas often mounted on utility poles, while macro facilities are the larger tower-style sites that cover wider areas. (pleasantonca.portal.civicclerk.com) (cityofpleasantonca.gov 1) (cityofpleasantonca.gov 2) City staff told the Planning Commission that Pleasanton’s current rules have produced “significant wireless coverage gaps” that affect residents, businesses and visitors. The commission then unanimously recommended the package for council approval. (pleasantonweekly.com 1) (pleasantonweekly.com 2) The city’s existing small-wireless policy dates to 2019, and the broader personal wireless facility rules have required design review and other findings before approval. The rewrite would update that framework as carriers push denser 5G-style networks that need more equipment closer to users. (cityofpleasantonca.gov) (cityofpleasantonca.gov) Pleasanton’s council meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, and the wireless package was listed as a public hearing on the April 21 regular agenda. That put the decision in front of the city’s five-member governing body after the Planning Commission’s recommendation earlier this spring. (cityofpleasantonca.gov) (cityofpleasantonca.gov) (pleasantonweekly.com) If adopted, the changes would reset how Pleasanton handles new antennas, pole-mounted equipment and upgrades to older sites, while tying those applications to a new fee schedule. The city framed the package as a way to expand service without abandoning local review of placement and design. (pleasantonca.portal.civicclerk.com) (pleasantonweekly.com)