Planning commission gives Verizon two months to explore county site, tolls shot clock
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Summary
After extensive public testimony from downtown business owners and neighbors, the Carpinteria Planning Commission unanimously continued Verizon’s rooftop wireless application for two months and the applicant agreed to toll the federal 'shot clock' while the county property option is explored. Commissioners asked staff to coordinate with the County Supervisor’s office.
The Carpinteria Planning Commission unanimously voted to continue the hearing on Verizon’s proposed rooftop wireless facility at 912 Linden Avenue for two months and accepted the applicant’s agreement to toll the Federal Communications Commission shot clock during that period.
Staff described the project as a conditional use and coastal development permit for rooftop antennas and support equipment mounted on an existing single‑story commercial building and an accessory rooftop enclosure, alongside limited work in the Cactus Lane right‑of‑way. The project packet included photo simulations and revisions in response to Architectural Review Board comments: the applicant reduced the number and size of rooftop installations adjacent to the clock tower, moved one south‑end antenna back from the parapet, enclosed antennas within architecturally compatible screening and proposed clock tower repair and repainting as part of mitigation.
Centerline Communications (on behalf of Verizon) presented coverage maps and an RF engineering analysis showing the site fills local gaps in indoor and in‑vehicle service, especially for 5G directional antennas that depend on line‑of‑sight. The applicant said it had reviewed 13 candidate sites and contacted multiple landlords; several potential rooftops were unsuitable for technical or landlord‑availability reasons. The applicant also submitted a structural analysis and staff included conditions that require full engineered building permits and independent RF verification before the facility becomes operational.
Downtown business owners — notably the Pacific Health Foods proprietors and staff — and other residents opposed the site, arguing the accessory structure and rooftop are not structurally sound, that installation and maintenance access (ladders, equipment) would disrupt operations, and that a visible antenna over a community hub and historic clock tower would harm business and the downtown character. Speakers also raised perceived RF health concerns; staff responded that RF emissions must meet FCC standards and that staff would require independent verification and monitoring per project conditions. A county official (on the record) indicated the county’s Veterans building on Walnut Avenue may be available as an alternative host site.
Commissioners weighed procedural constraints — the federal spectrum act shot‑clock that limits local review timelines — against the new information about a possible county site. The applicant offered to explore the county property and to suspend the shot clock; commissioners asked staff to coordinate with the County Supervisor’s office to expedite exploration. The commission approved a motion to continue the item for two months with a mutual tolling of the shot clock; the motion carried 5–0.
The continuation preserves the pending application while the applicant seeks a county alternative; if that option does not materialize Verizon may reactivate the current application or seek further tolling. Staff said independent RF verification and building permits will be required before any antennas can be energized, and conditions of approval require the applicant to make the facility available for future co‑location and to ensure visual concealment and maintenance of the clock tower façade as part of the installation work.
