San Leandro council upholds permit for 80‑foot monopine at 440 Peralta over neighbor’s appeal

The San Leandro City Council on Jan. 21 rejected an appeal of the Planning Commission and approved a conditional use permit (PLN 23‑31) to allow construction of an 80‑foot high monopine telecommunications tower at 440 Peralta Avenue.

The permit would allow AT&T’s FirstNet broadband antennas to operate on a faux pine tree structure and provide capacity for future colocations; council members approved the measure with conditions requiring radio‑frequency (RF) testing within 30 days of activation and annual testing for five years, plus additional analysis if neighboring development above 30 feet is proposed.

Why it matters: The item split residents, landowners and public‑safety interests at a public hearing that ran more than an hour. Appellants and neighbors warned the tower’s location and power could render adjacent parcels difficult to finance or develop for the mixed‑use housing the city’s general plan encourages. Staff and the applicant said federal law limits local regulation of RF levels and that the application included an…