Board overturns one NextG antenna permit over planning error, upholds another amid compliance concerns

The San Francisco Board of Appeals on March 16 overturned a DPW permit that allowed NextG Networks to install a wireless antenna at 15620 Seventh Avenue, finding the department relied on incomplete mapping during its review and that the site should have been routed to the Planning Department for additional review.

Jeff Cooper, who lives adjacent to the installation, told the board the San Francisco General Plan identifies Seventh Avenue as a “good view” street and that Planning review was required. “If NextG had done a minimum amount of outreach, we would have had the opportunity to research these issues before the antenna was built,” Cooper said. DPW permit manager John Kwong acknowledged the department’s dataset did not identify the segment as a good-view street at the time of review and said DPW would update its data to prevent similar errors.

NextG’s director of government relations, Natasha Ernst, said the company relied in good faith on the permits it received and offered to modify the installation to a lower “flush mount” configuration that Planning would prefer. “We are a nation of laws,” Ernst told the board during the hearing, arguing NextG seeks to comply with applicable requirements. The board, however, emphasized that reliance on a permit issued in error does not excuse skipping a planning referral; Vice President Michael Garcia moved to overturn the permit and that motion carried 4–0.

A separate appeal over a NextG installation at 36 Ashbury — raised by neighbors who said the pole-mounted equipment sits adjacent to an architecturally significant building — produced a different result. Planning staff said the Ashbury site was routed to Planning, which imposed conditions intended to mitigate impacts on the neighboring resource. NextG acknowledged the installed site did not fully match the planning conditions in every detail and said it would finish work to match Planning’s flush‑mount designs. After deliberation, the board upheld the Ashbury permit by a 3–2 vote, citing the record showing Planning had reviewed the proposal and attached conditions; commissioners expressed concern about a pattern of incomplete final work at multiple NextG sites and asked DPW to ensure final inspections were completed.

What the decisions mean

- Seventh Avenue (15620 Seventh Ave.): Permit revoked. DPW acknowledged a mapping error and the board ordered the matter off the active permit record; NextG may reapply and DPW/Planning will review the site under the proper routing. The board recorded its motion to overturn and directed written findings.

- Ashbury (36 Ashbury): Permit upheld, subject to Planning’s conditions and completion of final inspections. NextG must finish the as‑built work to match the Planning approval and DPW inspections before the permit is closed.

Procedural next steps

DPW said it will revise the datasets used in permit routing to prevent recurrence and will rely on Planning when map data indicate protected streets or historic adjacencies. NextG said it will modify affected sites where conditions were not passed through to its construction contractors and complete final “as built” submissions. The board indicated it will expect both departments to enforce permit conditions and to levy remedies if sites remain out of compliance.

Quotes in this story are drawn directly from board testimony and departmental statements during the March 16 hearing.