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Board hears months of public objections to AT&T sidewalk cabinets; appeal ends after company withdraws environmental filing
Summary
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors heard extensive public opposition July 29 to AT&T's plan to install up to 850 above-ground telecommunications cabinets on sidewalks, but AT&T withdrew the environmental filing that was the subject of the appeal, ending the matter before the board.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors spent hours hearing community testimony on July 29 about AT&T's plan to install up to 850 above-ground telecommunications cabinets on public sidewalks, but the formal appeal of the Planning Department's categorical-exemption finding was rendered moot when AT&T withdrew its environmental filing.
Why it matters: Dozens of neighborhood groups, historic-preservation advocates and safety-oriented residents warned the board that the size, siting and cumulative number of the proposed cabinets could harm the city's streetscape, create pedestrian-visibility and traffic hazards, and affect historic districts. Planning staff concluded the installations fit a Class 3 categorical exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), while opponents urged a programmatic CEQA review to examine cumulative effects.
What the board heard: Appellants and neighbors cited aesthetic blight, graffiti and the risk of reduced…
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