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Commission approves several AT&T Wi‑Fi and cellular antenna permits after residents raise health and outreach concerns
Summary
The commission approved multiple small Wi‑Fi panel installations on Fillmore Street and a conventional cellular rooftop site after staff outlined capacity justifications; residents raised RF health and outreach concerns, and AT&T offered RF testing and said it held community meetings.
The Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve three AT&T Wi‑Fi panel antenna installations on Fillmore Street (applications listed as items 9–11) and later approved a separate AT&T cellular rooftop installation at 2121 Nineteenth Avenue. Staff described the Fillmore sites as small, concealed Wi‑Fi panels intended to relieve data congestion on overloaded macro sites; the panels are described in staff materials as roughly tablet‑sized and to be concealed behind radomes or screens.
Members of the public raised health concerns and asked whether AT&T had conducted neighborhood outreach. Two speakers told the commission they were worried about potential radiation effects and asked for more public engagement. AT&T’s director of external affairs, Teddi Berhais, said the technology is different from traditional macro cell sites, that AT&T held three community meetings documented in the application packet, and offered to test radio‑frequency (RF) exposure at residents’ homes. She also said data capacity on the corridor justified the installations: "We're doing this in response to that capacity that we're seeing," she said.
Planning staff recommended approval with conditions; commissioners discussed outreach and the availability of Department of Public Health testing and voted to approve items 9–11 together (5–0). The separate rooftop cellular permit at 2121 Nineteenth Avenue was also approved after staff noted prior approvals at the parcel and received a petition of opposition; that motion carried 4–0.
Commissioners asked AT&T to make additional efforts to contact nearby residents and to provide testing information and engagement to those who ask for measurements of RF levels. AT&T said it would make follow‑up contacts and noted that the Department of Public Health can perform independent measurements on request.
