Palo Alto ARB recommends approval of AT&T small-cell modifications on Page Mill Road with conditions

The Palo Alto Architectural Review Board on Thursday recommended that the director of Planning and Development Services approve AT&T’s application to modify an existing small wireless facility on a city light pole near 1661 Page Mill Road, following public comment, technical questions and board conditions.

Staff said the application is for a tier‑2 small wireless facility that would remove an existing ground equipment cabinet, place three convection‑cooled radio remote units (RRUs) and two antennas on the pole, and underground existing fiber connections. Claire Raybould, manager of current planning, told the board the applicant submitted updated volume calculations showing the equipment on the pole would stay under the 28‑cubic‑foot threshold used to classify the project as tier‑2 and keep it subject to the 60‑day timeline for small wireless facilities.

The application drew about 50 emailed comments from residents and several in‑person speakers at the hearing. Ariel Strauss, an attorney at Green Fire Law representing United Neighbors, urged the board to review the site as a unique location and said regulators determine whether an application qualifies as a small wireless facility at the time it is submitted: "the small cell designation is made at the point in time when…