Planning commission approves AT&T rooftop antennas at 2600 Great America Way

The Santa Clara Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for an unmanned AT&T telecommunications facility to be installed on the rooftop at 2600 Great America Way, including rooftop-mounted antennas and ground equipment adjacent to an existing trash enclosure.

Staff said the project is subject to Santa Clara municipal code review for new wireless facilities and recommended it be found categorically exempt from environmental review under CEQA guidelines. “Staff is recommending that the project will be determined categorically exempt from formal environmental review per section 15303(d) of the CEQA guidelines,” Assistant Planner Alex Tejas said during the presentation.

The project site is an existing office park (Santa Clara Gateway) on about 14 acres zoned planned development, with a general plan designation of High Intensity Office, Research and Development. Tejas told the commission that AT&T’s equipment would be located behind existing mechanical screening on the roof and that a section of the parapet screening would be replaced with material that allows radio-frequency emissions to pass. He said outreach included mailed notice to 52 property owners within 500 feet and that no written or phone comments had been received as of the hearing.

Ashley Smith of Epic Wireless Group, appearing for AT&T, said the location had been chosen to minimize visual and community impacts. “We believe we found the best location, the least intrusive to provide the coverage to the community in this area,” Smith said, describing the rooftop placement and ground-level screening to match existing materials.

Commissioners questioned technical and siting details. Staff noted the equipment would operate in compliance with Federal Communications Commission emission limits, and commissioners pressed the applicant to consider how a separate nearby, entitled mixed‑use development could affect line‑of‑sight coverage. Staff described the adjacent “related” project site as a large, entitled development south/southeast of the parcel where buildings up to about 219 feet may be allowed; commissioners asked AT&T to check whether those future heights could block coverage the new facility is intended to provide.

Technical clarifications given during the hearing included the following: the building parapet is roughly 100 feet to the parapet, the top of the mechanical screen is about 113 feet above grade, and AT&T’s equipment would be centered around the 109‑foot elevation; a rooftop component measures on the order of 13 feet above the roof in the staff drawings shown to the commission. Staff also explained that the ground equipment would be tucked near an existing trash enclosure and screened and landscaped to reduce visibility.

The commission first voted to adopt staff’s environmental recommendation, finding the project categorically exempt under CEQA (section 15303(d)). Commissioner Biogeni moved the CEQA motion; a second was recorded. The commission then voted to adopt a resolution approving the conditional use permit subject to the findings and conditions in the staff report. The motion to approve the CUP was made by Commissioner Biogeni and seconded by Commissioner Salim. The transcript records the motions, seconders and that each motion “passed”; individual roll-call vote tallies and individual yes/no votes were not specified in the meeting transcript.

Why it matters: city staff and the applicant said the facility will support higher-demand wireless service in the immediate area, including near Levi’s Stadium, which staff noted when describing the city’s need for enhanced telecommunications infrastructure for large events. Commissioners also asked that AT&T re-run coverage estimates considering the large entitled development nearby to make sure the proposed rooftop location will deliver the expected service in coming years.

The commission approved both the CEQA determination and the conditional use permit and closed the public hearing; no public speakers were recorded for this item.