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Jurupa Valley council advances wireless communications rules, adds 'W‑1' conservation zone to prohibition list
Summary
The council introduced a zoning code amendment to update wireless communications facility (WCF) regulations and voted to add the W‑1 watercourse/conservation zone to the list of zones where new WCFs are prohibited; the ordinance notes compliance constraints under federal telecommunications law.
Jurupa Valley’s City Council on Sept. 18 introduced updated regulations for wireless communications facilities and unanimously amended the draft to add the city’s W‑1 watercourse, watershed and conservation zone to the list of zones where new facilities are prohibited.
Principal planner Tamara Campbell told the council the proposed Zoning Code Amendment 23,002 consolidates and modernizes the city’s WCF rules so permitting is clearer, establishes a 10‑year life for new facilities with possible extensions, creates priorities for siting and design, and aligns local rules with federal requirements. Campbell said the revision reduces redundancy in the existing code and makes most new facilities subject to a conditional use permit.
Campbell said staff initially recommended prohibiting WCFs in residential zones, open‑space and scenic highway commercial zones and in the city’s Natural Assets (NA) zone; council members asked staff to review whether other zones also should be added. After staff review, Campbell recommended adding the W‑1 zone — used for floodplain, watershed and conservation areas, including along the Santa Ana River — to the prohibited list. The ordinance retains an exceptions process that allows applicants to seek relief where denial would have the practical effect of prohibiting service, consistent with federal law.
Council members discussed enforcement and the limits imposed by federal law. One council member cautioned that federal rules require applicants to show service gaps before denials can be sustained, adding that small‑cell technologies require denser networks and may generate more requests in residential neighborhoods. Campbell and city staff said applicants must present technical justification if they seek an exception.
The council voted unanimously to introduce and give first reading to Ordinance No. 2025‑521 (as numbered in the staff report) amending Title IX, Chapter 9.275 to regulate WCFs and to add the W‑1 zone to the list of prohibited zones.
