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Commission upholds OTARD‑exempt rooftop wireless install at 58 Digby after neighbor concerns; sponsor offers voluntary screening
Summary
Planning staff and public health found the remaining low‑power point‑to‑point antennas at 58 Digby qualify for OTARD (home‑user) exemptions. The commission approved the permit to remove earlier non‑compliant elements and noted the sponsor—s offer to install a voluntary visual screen; neighbors requested RF testing and safeguards.
The Planning Commission on Oct. 3 upheld a building permit allowing a homeowner at 58 Digby Street to retain an OTARD‑exempt, low‑power point‑to‑point wireless installation after the sponsor agreed to remove non‑compliant elements and offered a voluntary visual screen.
Planning staff said the installation now on the roof meets the federal OTARD rules that exempt certain home‑based receive‑only and two‑way fixed‑wireless devices from local permitting when they are not used as hubs or repeaters for other sites. Staff consulted the Department of Public Health and found no significant RF exposure concerns from the low‑power, narrow‑beam microwave dishes used for direct links.
Monkey Brains co‑founder Alex Menendez said the gear is low‑power and can be run from a battery pack; the company installed an earlier noncompliant configuration but withdrew the offending pieces and worked with staff to legalize a compliant configuration. Menendez told the commission Monkey Brains is willing to paint or screen antennas to reduce visibility.
Neighbors, backed by counsel, asked the commission to require RF emission sweeps and structural stabilization measures. They said prior non‑compliant installations had been used as neighborhood relays and sought a clear record that remaining antennas are OTARD‑compliant and not relays; the neighbors also presented a small petition and asked for periodic testing.
Staff indicated OTARD does not require ongoing RF monitoring and that the remaining antennas were permissible; commissioners accepted the sponsor—s voluntary offer to screen the antennas and documented neighbors' concerns. The commission voted to approve the permit and to record the sponsor—s voluntary offer; vote was unanimous 6–0.
