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San Juan Capistrano council introduces ordinance to update antennas and wireless facility standards
Summary
City staff presented a comprehensive rewrite of the antennas and wireless facilities code to align San Juan Capistrano with recent state and federal rules; the council introduced and approved the ordinance (code amendment 21-006) unanimously and found the action exempt from CEQA.
City staff presented and the San Juan Capistrano City Council on April 21 unanimously introduced an ordinance to replace the city's antennas and wireless facility code with a new section intended to align municipal rules with state and federal regulations.
Planning Manager Laura Stokes told the council the update would replace Code Section 9-3.57 with a new "antennas and wireless facilities" section that defines facility types, clarifies which applications may be processed ministerially and which require review, and adds aesthetic, landscape, setback and lighting standards. "It completely replaces the existing code language with new code language," Stokes said, describing changes to the conditional use permit, administrative approval and temporary use sections.
The staff report says the proposed amendment reflects federal limits on moratoria and the streamlined processing timelines that apply to cellular facilities, removes inconsistent references elsewhere in the municipal code and preserves existing federal protections for amateur radio antennas. The report also recommended the council find the project is not a project under CEQA or, alternatively, categorically exempt under the cited CEQA guidelines.
With no members of the public requesting to speak on the item, the council moved the staff recommendation and passed the measure unanimously. The city clerk read the ordinance title as approving Code Amendment 21-006 to update multiple zoning tables and code sections so the city's placement and regulation of antennas and wireless facilities on public and private property meet current state and federal requirements.
Staff said the amendment is intended to make processing consistent with state timeframes and to clarify when modifications or co-locations can be reviewed ministerially rather than through conditional use permits. The council did not attach additional changes before the vote. The ordinance introduction completes the council's initial approval step; staff will return as needed for implementing actions and any ministerial processing.
