A seven-hour marathon meeting in front of the Piedmont Planning did not end well for Crown Castle. Instead of approval, the planning commission refused to endorse the wireless giant’s plan to install cell antenna nodes in nine proposed locations, reports the East Bay Times.
Crown Castle has been working with the city for the last two years to try and install the nine antenna locations. The planning commission broke those into three separate items for review, with Crown Castle proposing to use existing utility poles or replace existing poles in order to install the nodes.
The proposal received significant pushback from local citizens, who cited common worries regarding safety and health concerns over the proposed cell antennas. Chief planner Pierce McDonald Powell said residents opposing the tower sent 220 letters or emails, along with a petition signed by 112 people.
In response, attorney Kevin Siegel representing the tower company, cited federal, state and city laws as reason for the commission to endorse the proposed project. Currently, a law is making its way through the California state legislature that would make it easier for wireless companies to install equipment in public rights-of-way.
“A telecommunications corporation has the right to install in a right-of-way with reasonable considerations. You can’t prohibit, but you can shape the manner by which they are installed,” Siegel said during the hearing. “Senate Bill 649 pending in the legislature may further limit the powers of local government.”
The planning commission’s decision is not the final say on the project. The matter is expected to go before the City Council for review sometime next month.
June 16, 2017
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