Council studies updated wireless code: design control retained, shot clocks tighten review

City staff presented proposed revisions to Piedmont's wireless communications code and the Piedmont design standards to respond to federal and state rulemaking that limits local discretion for wireless projects.

Associate Planner Gopika Nair said the revisions would create a new Chapter 8 in the design standards, add updated definitions and preferred locations (priority for zones B and D and the public right of way), and set design standards to preserve concealment. "The city still retains authority over the design of the wireless facilities," Nair said, and staff proposed that applications meeting those design standards be processed ministerially to meet federal shot-clock timelines. Staff also described batch processing for similar small-cell applications and a proposed appeals process that would route appeals to the city administrator within five days to comply with short-clock deadlines.

Councilmembers asked detailed questions about batch size, fees, notification to neighbors, and whether distance from residences can be included as a design factor. Staff said federal rules limit denial based on RF emissions and certain eligibility criteria, but the city can require concealment and design features; if an application does not meet ministerial-design criteria, it would instead require public review. Staff also noted a state-law cap of 25 sites for batch processing in a city of Piedmont's size and said they will research fee structures and the legal possibility of including setback-like design standards.