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allow AT &T to co- locate and also reduce the significant gap in coverage that currently exists within the area. Ms. Sharma stated that AT &T also looked at alternatives sites within the area where its tower could be located, but there were a couple considerations that came into play with that issue, such as the City's ordinance that requires setbacks: there are residences to the west that AT &T needed to stay away from, as well as the Quarry Lane School to the northeast that is within 300 feet of the site. She indicated that there was no other less intrusive area within this commercial complex that would reduce the significant gap in the coverage. With respect to the Electromagnetic Field (EMF) concerns, Ms. Sharma stated that AT &T cannot speak to that but that an independent third party report was prepared, and a representative from Hammett & Edison, the company that conducted the review, is present to speak on any Radio Frequency (RF) concerns as well as answer any questions regarding the report. She respectfully asked the Commission to approve the project. Dane Ericksen, P.E., Senior Engineer with Hammett & Edison, Inc., project consultant, stated that his firm conducted the RF Safety Study for this site. He indicated that the site complies with Federal guidelines for exposure to radio frequency energy: the maximum ground level anywhere on the ground from this site, if all the antennas were on at the same time, would be .014 milliwatt per square centimeter, which is 2.7 percent of the public limit and 50 times under the public limit for the general exposure. He added that the maximum on the roof of the adjacent building would be 4.6 percent of the public limit, which, again, is in compliance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines for human exposure to radio frequency energy. He noted that the nearest residence is about 500 feet away, and the maximum at that residence would be about 1.1 percent of the public limit. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED. Chair Pearce asked staff to speak on the City's limitations regarding the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Julie Harryman stated that this matter is addressed in the staff report, but for the benefit of the audience, she explained that the Federal government has dictated what levels are allowable with regard to RF emissions, and while cities cannot regulate those levels, cities can require a report from the provider, and in this case, AT &T hired a consultant do the study. She noted that as the Commission just heard from the consultant, the study determined that the RF exposure is well below the amount allowed by the Federal government at essentially anywhere between 1.1 percent and 4.6 percent of that amount. She added that the City also hired a consultant out of Southern California and had him conduct a peer review of that RF study, and the City's peer review consultant confirmed the findings of the Hammett & Edison consultants. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, July 24, 2013 Page 5 of 20