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Board of Appeals rejects neighborhood challenge to Verizon small‑cell permit near Sacramento Street school
Summary
The Board denied an appeal of a Public Works permit allowing Verizon to install a small‑cell wireless facility at 3979 Sacramento St., finding that Article 25 notice and multi‑agency reviews were followed; neighbors raised historic‑view, notice and health concerns.
The San Francisco Board of Appeals on May 31 denied an appeal by Joanne Borgia challenging a Public Works issuance of a personal wireless facility permit for 3979 Sacramento Street, voting 5‑0 to issue the permit.
Borgia’s counsel argued the site lies adjacent to designated historic properties — including Saint John’s Presbyterian Church — and said multi‑unit addresses nearby did not receive individualized notice. “A review indicates that the National Register listings and San Francisco designated landmarks list St. John’s Presbyterian Church as a historic place,” the appellant’s representative told the board and said some residents at 3990 Sacramento did not receive separate mailings to individual units.
Verizon’s outside counsel, Paul Albritton, described the approval process under the city’s Article 25 small‑cell rules and said the company had complied with multiple notices and technical reviews. “This is a program that’s been going on for a couple of years now…we’ve approached 400 of these small cell sites in San Francisco,” Albritton said, adding that the facility had passed structural and RF reviews and that the Department of Public Health and Planning had approved the design. He also said Verizon re‑mailed notices after an initial mailing lacked postmarks.
Amanda Higgins of Public Works told the board the department followed Article 25 procedures and that the applicant is required to mail notice to property owners and occupants within 150 feet and neighborhood associations within 300 feet; Planning staff and the assessor’s parcel method of compiling mailing lists were discussed. Planning’s Scott Sanchez said some city notice rules send one notice per lot and block, which can result in a single mailer for multi‑unit buildings in certain code‑specified cases.
Neighbors and public commenters urged more careful outreach and raised visual and health concerns near a school. Lynn Burwell, who lives across the street from the site, said the pole “is very unsightly” and questioned whether the school community received notice. Verizon and Public Works representatives said posting and mailed notices, plus technical reports and agency checks, satisfied the city’s requirements.
After questioning from commissioners about notice lists and the project’s visual and RF impacts, Commissioner Anne Lazarus moved to deny the appeal and issue the permit as appropriately issued. The motion carried unanimously.
Next steps: the permit stands; the appeal was denied and the applicant may proceed subject to any remaining administrative conditions or appeals to other forums.
