Pleasanton Eyes Looser Wireless Tower Rules
- Pleasanton City Council was set to vote April 22 on a wireless ordinance rewrite that would ease approvals for towers, rooftop antennas and small cells. - Planning commissioners backed the package 5-0 after staff said it addresses three project types and adds new design, location and concealment rules. - The rewrite updates Pleasanton’s 2019 small-cell policy and long-running tower rules amid spotty local coverage. (pleasantonweekly.com)
Pleasanton is moving to loosen parts of its wireless siting rules so carriers can add or upgrade cell facilities more easily across the city. (pleasantonweekly.com) The package before the City Council would replace sections of the municipal code and add three policies covering new large wireless facilities, small-cell equipment and eligible federal upgrades to existing sites. (pleasantonweekly.com) Pleasanton’s Planning Commission voted 5-0 on March 26 to recommend approval after a public hearing on the ordinance and policy changes. (pleasantonweekly.com) City staff said the rewrite is meant to address three recurring categories of projects: new macro sites, small cells on utility poles and modifications to existing facilities that are protected under federal law. (pleasantonweekly.com) Small cells are the compact antennas and radios mounted on poles or streetlights that fill short-range coverage gaps, while larger sites use taller structures or rooftops to serve wider areas. (pleasantonweekly.com) (cityofpleasantonca.gov) The proposed rules would relax some placement limits but add standards for concealment, equipment size, colors and visual integration with nearby neighborhoods. (patch.com) (pleasantonweekly.com) Pleasanton already has a council policy for small wireless facilities dating to March 11, 2019, with application, location and design standards for pole-mounted equipment. (cityofpleasantonca.gov) The city’s broader wireless debate is older than that. Pleasanton was reexamining tower restrictions as far back as 2010 while residents weighed better reception against the look of new structures. (pleasantonweekly.com) Council meetings are typically held on the first and third Tuesdays at 7 p.m., and city rules require two readings before a new ordinance takes effect. (cityofpleasantonca.gov 1) (cityofpleasantonca.gov 2) If council members advance the rewrite, Pleasanton would be updating the local rulebook carriers use when they try to close the city’s persistent coverage gaps. (pleasantonweekly.com)
