San Mateo commissioners uphold permit for small-cell installation at 724 West Poplar

San Mateo’s Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission on March 20 denied an appeal and upheld the city staff’s approval of a wireless‑permit for a small‑cell installation on an existing wood pole at 724 West Poplar.

The commission’s decision follows staff findings that the proposed pole attachment met the city’s 2021 wireless design standards, that it was the only technically feasible existing support structure within the applicant’s engineering constraints and that the permit is categorically exempt from CEQA. The motion to deny the appeal passed 5‑0.

Staff said the applicant’s technical objectives and third‑party RF review justified using the proposed pole. “Staff recommends denial of the appeal and adopting a statement,” Public Works senior engineer Jason Larey told commissioners during the hearing. Larey and other staff explained that poles outside a roughly 200‑foot radius were…