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Brentwood staff propose tiered wireless ordinance to fill coverage gaps; planning review set for February
Summary
City staff introduced an ordinance creating a needs-based "tier 4" for personal wireless service facilities to address coverage gaps in east and southeast Brentwood, requiring carrier-provided propagation studies, independent technical review, and planning commission oversight; public hearings are scheduled in February.
Staff presented a draft ordinance to amend Chapter 78 to allow a new, needs-based tier for personal wireless service facilities intended to fill persistent coverage gaps in eastern and southeastern Brentwood. The proposal would require carriers to submit propagation studies showing insufficient existing service and would emphasize co-location and camouflaging options where technically feasible.
The city's presenter said the change is not an open-ended allowance but a technical, study-driven approach: "one thing to note is in this tier 4, it allows a tower up to a height of 160 feet," and that height would be the maximum determined by the engineering study, not an automatic grant. Staff added that disguising or placing antennas behind buildings or dense trees often defeats coverage goals because antennas must have clearance to serve the intended area.
The draft ordinance also includes a neighborhood notice provision (staff cited 1,000-foot notice) and an expectation that the Planning Commission will work with applicants on camouflaging and siting. City staff said they will use an independent third-party reviewer to vet technical submittals.
Staff outlined the schedule for review: Planning Commission on Feb. 2, a public hearing on Feb. 9, and a second/final reading on Feb. 23. They cautioned that federal timing constraints (the telecom "shot clock") limit review time and that the city should be mindful of statutory deadlines when setting notification periods.
If enacted, the ordinance would loosen some of the ordinance's prior prohibitions that staff identified as a factor contributing to poor coverage in parts of the city. City staff stressed the ordinance is aimed at narrow coverage needs and repeated that co-location of multiple carriers on a single facility is a core objective.
Next steps: staff will publish materials for the Planning Commission packet and accept public input ahead of the Feb. 2 review and Feb. 9 public hearing.
