NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that at 5:30 p.m. on October 29, 2019 the Planning Commission will consider applications for Wireless Communication Facilities permits submitted by Crown Castle NG West LLC and Suresite Development, each application with project number #19-0188. The Commission will consider applications for sites 10 to 18.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that at 6:30 p.m. on November 18, 2019 the City Council will consider the same applications described above (for sites 10 to 18) and applications for Wireless Communication Facilities permits for sites 1 to 8.
The addresses and a map of all of the Crown Castle applications are provided below:
Sites PHS01 to PHS08 and PHS10 to PHS18:
The applications consist of eight of the nine WCF permit application sites reviewed by the Planning Commission and City Council in 2017 and nine additional sites. The additional sites are included because the applications no longer have the 700 MHz radios for which they previously applied. Instead, the applications use only 1900 and 2100 MHz bandwidths to serve the area in the 2017 proposal. Elimination of the 700 MHz radios allows for smaller antennas and radios. Thirteen of the sites are proposed for existing utility pole locations. Site PHS08 would have a new utility pole location. Antennas will be located at the top of utility poles and will be a maximum of 3 feet in height. The radios will be mounted on the poles. The antennas and the radios will be concealed in shrouds. There are a few utility poles with different designs to resolve site specific issues and to reduce impacts on City trees. Three sites will be on City streetlights with 2 foot antennas and pole and ground mounted cabinets. Public hearings will include consideration of exceptions to WCF permit standards to comply with federal and state law, as well as consideration of a license for use of city-owned structures.
Site PHS09, proposed within Piedmont Park at the Wildwood Avenue entrance, will have a separate public hearing notice. Site PHS19, across from 44 Wildwood Avenue, was withdrawn by the applicant.
120 VISTA AVE. / PIEDMONT, CA 94611 / (510) 420-3050 / FAX (510) 658-3167
The applications described above have been deemed categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15303(d), Construction or Conversion of Small Structures, subsection (d) (water main, sewage, electrical, gas, and other utility extensions, including street improvements, of reasonable length to serve such construction) because the proposed wireless communication facilities are small utility structures located in a developed setting. No exceptions to the exemptions have been identified that would make the proposals ineligible for the categorical exemptions because the projects’ settings are not environmentally sensitive, the surrounding area is developed and urbanized, and existing utilities are located at or near each of the proposed installations.
Applications, plans, and detailed information for each application filed by Crown Castle is available at https://www.piedmont.ca.gov/.
The City of Piedmont is notifying surrounding property owners of the applications and is inviting comments on the proposals. Application materials may be reviewed from 8:30 a.m. – 12 noon and 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday in the Department of Public Works at City Hall. The City has reviewed the submitted plans for conformance with the City Code but does not verify or guarantee the accuracy of the information submitted with the applications. Any questions or comments regarding the accuracy of the submitted plans or the desirability of the proposals may be forwarded to the Planning Commission and City Council.
The Piedmont Planning Commission will hear applications for Project #19-0188 during its 5:30 p.m. special session of Tuesday October 29, 2019, which will be held in the Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue. You are invited to attend the meeting and to express any opinions you so desire. For this matter, the Planning Commission is advisory to the City Council and will be making a recommendation regarding the projects’ consistency with City standards.
The Piedmont City Council will hear the applications for Project #19-0188 during its 6:30 p.m. special session meeting of Monday, November 18, 2019, which will be held in the Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue. You are invited to attend the meeting and to express any opinions you so desire. The City Council is the reviewing body for applications for Wireless Communication Facilities permits for sites located in the public right-of-way. The City Council will consider the applications and the recommendation of the Planning Commission. This letter will be the only mailed notice of the consideration of these applications by the City Council.
Placement of wireless communication facilities is governed by state and federal law, including regulations requiring cities to allow certain WCF installations in the public right-of-way. Under these laws, cities cannot place conditions on, deny, or approve a proposed WCF installation based upon the health effects if the applicant demonstrates that the project meets federal safety requirements. Under the Federal Telecommunications Act, the federal government decides the safe level of electromagnetic field emissions.
Comments regarding applications may be sent to the City Council and Planning Commission via email to: citycouncil@piedmont.ca.gov. To send comments via U.S. Mail, please use the following address: Piedmont City Council c/o City Clerk, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611. If you have questions about the applications, please contact Senior Planner Pierce Macdonald-Powell by email at pmacdonald@piedmont.ca.gov. Any correspondence sent to the City will be considered a public record.
The City Council staff report for this item will be posted no later than 12 noon on Friday, November 8, 2019 on the City website –https://www.piedmont.ca.gov/government/city_council .
Both the Planning Commission meeting on October 29, 2019 and the City Council meeting on November 18, 2019 will be televised live on KCOM-TV, the City’s government access TV station and available through streaming video on the City’s web site at https://www.piedmont.ca.gov/