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Commission weighs wireless siting and public‑safety interference; DITAS sign‑off required on city sites
Summary
Planning Commission approved wireless facility requests but added a requirement that project sponsors obtain a written sign‑off from the Department of Telecommunications & Information Services (DITAS) confirming no interference with emergency radio systems; the decision followed public health and interference concerns.
The Planning Commission on Oct. 19 addressed multiple wireless facility applications and affirmed approval in several cases while adding a condition requiring project sponsors to secure a letter from the Department of Telecommunications and Information Services (DITAS) confirming no interference with the city’s emergency radio system prior to issuance of building permits.
Elizabeth Waddy and Dan DiBartolo presented two co‑located antenna applications: a Verizon proposal for panels at 965–985 Geneva Avenue and a Sprint application at 766 Vallejo (a general plan referral plus conditional use). Public comment included health‑concern testimony about RF exposure and technical concerns about interference to public‑safety radio communications. Lorenzo Garde of the city’s telecommunications office asked to be looped into frequency details so the city can assess potential interference; he said DITAS sometimes lacks advance frequency information from applicants.
Verizon and Sprint engineers described operating frequencies and told commissioners that Verizon’s bands (880–894 MHz and 1985–1990 MHz) were not the source of known Nextel interference; staff and DITAS noted that Nextel rebanding has prompted national public‑safety concerns. Commissioners debated whether to continue approvals to allow more consultation; ultimately, the Sprint case (Vallejo) was approved contingent on receipt of a DITAS determination letter before building permits are released, and commissioners applied a similar condition to other city‑site leases where concerns were raised.
Commissioner Michael Antonini and others emphasized that if DITAS identifies interference risks, permits should not be released until remedies are found. The vote on the Sprint site (general plan referral and conditional use) carried 4–2 with Commissioners Moore and Olague dissenting; other carrier approvals were recorded as approved with the DITAS sign‑off condition included in permit release requirements.
The commission directed staff to bring procedural improvements to the WTS (wireless telecommunications siting) guidelines and to coordinate more routinely with DITAS and the Police Department on future applications. The condition preserved the policy objective of city telecom compatibility while allowing carriers to extend coverage where appropriate.
