PC 111313 - Laserfiche WebLink

Mr. Dolan explained that that is exactly the point. He stated that if the antenna is concealed, most people are not even going to know it is there; but if it is just a fake tree and the people know it is there, the community does not want to be looking at those or knowing that they are there. He added that staff is just trying to balance so it can get support, or not large amounts of opposition, to these improvements. Commissioner O'Connor stated that he hears from different people all the time and inquired if these changes will give enough so that coverage gaps can be eliminated. Ms. Harryman replied that that is a question best answered by the carrier. She pointed out that AT &T said it would be supportive and that if the Commission wants to consider loosening it, that would be great. She indicated that staff did get a letter which was forwarded to the Commission, from the attorney for Verizon, stating that this is not far enough albeit happy that the City is making a move in the right direction, that there should not be buffer zones; he advocated that it should be allowed in residential as well. Commissioner O'Connor stated that if all else fails, if the Commission cannot get them into any of those "other" areas, the Commission still has that ability. Ms. Harryman said yes. She stated that that is something staff added, the sixth item, the exception to meet Federal or State law. She indicated that southeast Pleasanton is a great example because it is so residential, residentially zoned, and residential in nature. She stated that If the carrier can show that there is a significant gap in coverage in this area and wants to close it, staff needs to locate and then pick a property, and work with them on alternative sites. She added that this is something that the City Council or the Planning Commission could ultimately approve. Commissioner Ritter stated that these are repeaters and that there is really no noise; they just move the signal between towers. He noted that the bigger the cell tower is, the more RF it gives; so if the fewer towers out there, the lesser the RF. He indicated that it is actually better to have more towers because it means less strong waves coming through, and that is a positive. He added that it used to be analog and a cell phone ring could be heard through a radio; but it is going digital now, and digital is a lot safer signal than the old analog. Commissioner Ritter stated that the other thing he wanted to bring up is if the distance were changed from 300 feet to, say, 100 feet, the antenna could actually, possibly, likely be concealed better, such that instead of the homeowners looking out when they are drinking their wine, they could move right next to it. He stated that the Commission or the Council might want to consider that too because it just presents more options, and knowing it is not putting the community at risk is the biggest thing he is in favor of. He noted that schools and parks have them, and Livermore has them all over the parks. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, November 13, 2013 Page 48 of 50