REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Proposed Project: USE PERMIT to modify an existing wireless telecommunications facility (monopole) for Dish Wireless: Install three antennas, six new RRUs, and associated equipment. Increase total tower height from 59 feet to 71 feet.
Location: 1070 Stewart Drive (APN: 205-23-019)
File #: PLNG-2023-0197
Zoning: M-S/POA (Industrial and Service, Place of Assembly Combining District)
Applicant / Owner: Galt Wireless / Public Storage Inc.
Environmental Review: A Class 1 Categorical Exemption (Section 15301 - Existing Facilities) relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions.
Project Planner: Mary Jeyaprakash, (408) 730-7449, mjeyaprakash@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
BACKGROUND
Description of Proposed Project
The applicant proposes colocation of a new telecommunication carrier (Dish Wireless) with three other existing carriers on an existing monopole telecommunication facility. The monopole would be increased in height by 12 feet (for a total height of 71 feet) to accommodate three new panel antennas and six remote radio units (RRUs) to be distributed on three sectors. The applicant also proposes the installation of ground support equipment on a concrete pad, associated enclosure screening, a utility panel, and new equipment enclosed within an adjacent storage unit, including a new roof vent. A Use Permit with Planning Commission review is required based on Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC) Section 19.54.080 because the project site is in an M-S zoning district, on a monopole greater than 65 feet in height (but less than 90 feet high), located within 1,000 feet from the right-of-way of a freeway, expressway, or arterial street. The project site is located within 1,000 feet of Lawrence Expressway.
See Attachment 1 for a map of the vicinity and mailing area for notices.
Previous Actions on the Site
The existing 59-foot telecommunications monopole at the site was constructed in 1990 and has hosted as many as five cellular facilities from independent wireless carriers at any one time since then. Three wireless carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) currently maintain active facilities on the monopole. The most recent modifications were approved for the AT&T and Verizon facilities in 2021 (see Attachment 7 - List of Previously Approved Wireless Telecommunications Facilities).
There are no active Neighborhood Preservation cases on this property.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A Class 1 Categorical Exemption (Section 15301 - Existing Facilities) relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions. Class 1 Categorical Exemptions consist of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use.
DISCUSSION
Present Site Conditions
The subject property was developed with the existing self-storage use in 1973. The property is primarily occupied by Public Storage, a commercial self-storage facility which contains approximately 193,937 square feet of storage units and office space across ten buildings on 6.79 acres. The largest self-storage building is four stories tall with a total height of approximately 49 feet from grade. This building, completed in 2015, is located between the monopole and Lawrence Expressway. Use Permit # 2017-7912 approved the construction of two additional four-story self-storage buildings on-site to replace existing smaller self-storage buildings, leaving the entire site developed at four stories. However, this project has not yet been constructed and the approval expires this year.
The existing 59-foot monopole telecommunications facility was approved in 1990. The site contains two other telecommunications facilities mounted on the second-floor roof of the self-storage buildings, facing to the west and east. The site is bordered to the north by an extended stay hotel, to the west by an industrial building, and to the south by a retail store zoned for industrial use. Lawrence Expressway abuts the site to the east and is approximately 475 feet from the monopole.
The existing monopole is located at the south end of the property, approximately three feet away from the nearest self-storage building on-site and approximately 30 feet from the neighboring property to the south. A ground equipment enclosure presently exists adjacent to the monopole to the south, between a self-storage building and trash enclosure. The existing equipment enclosure and monopole base is screened by an eight-foot tall security fence.
Proposed Use
The proposed facility would provide wireless telecommunications services for Dish Wireless, which intends to address area capacity, network demand, and future technologies.
• Antennas and RRUs - The applicant is proposing to increase the height of the existing monopole to 71 feet and install the equipment within three sectors at 68 feet on the monopole. Each sector would have one panel antenna and two RRUs.
• Ground Equipment - The applicant is proposing to construct an 18 square-foot equipment pad for a new transformer in a nearby landscape area with bollards and landscape screening. The pad and equipment would only be visible from the immediate vicinity of the pad within the subject property. The project also includes the placement of new equipment within an existing self-storage building adjacent to the monopole. This equipment necessitates a new roof vent on top of the self-storage building, which would be screened from adjacent properties by existing mature vegetation along the property line to the south. A freestanding panel with meters would be placed in front of the existing outdoor equipment enclosure, with surrounding protective bollards.
Development Standards
Radio Frequency (RF) Emissions Exposure: The project is compliant with the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) general public and occupational limits for exposure to radio frequency fields. If a proposal meets FCC standards, the City is prohibited from making additional judgments on RF levels. The FCC is the final authority on the safety of telecommunications facilities. A site is considered out of compliance with FCC regulations if there are areas that exceed the FCC exposure limits and there are no RF hazard mitigation measures in place. Any carrier which has an installation that contributes more than five percent of the applicable maximum permissible exposure (MPE) must participate in mitigating these RF hazards.
The applicant submitted an RF report prepared by Waterford Consultants, dated August 1, 2023, as part of the analysis of the project (Attachment 6). Waterford conducted theoretical modeling to estimate the worst-case power density at the roof and ground level. Based on the site assessment, no special operating mitigation measures are recommended, in addition to compliance with standard FCC and OSHA site access signage, which would ensure compliance with the FCC’s rules and regulations.
Compliance with Development Standards/Guidelines:
SMC Section 19.54.040 provides design requirements for wireless telecommunication facilities including those that minimize aesthetic impacts through use of colors and materials, lighting, and landscaping. The FCC has determined under the Middle-Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, Section 6409, that local governments must approve eligible facilities requests for the modification of an existing wireless tower or base that does not substantially change the physical dimensions of the tower or base. A substantial increase in height under Section 6409 is considered to be 25 feet or 10% of the existing tower, whichever is greater.
Dish Wireless is proposing to install three new antennas and associated equipment on an existing monopole. The monopole would be increased in height from 59 feet to 71 feet to accommodate the new wireless facility. The proposed antennas would be visible from nearby industrial sites to the north and south, but are unlikely to be visible from the residential properties on the opposite side of Stewart Drive due to existing mature street trees. The new antennas would be minimally apparent as there is only one panel antenna with a slim profile proposed for each sector (see Attachment 5 - Photo Simulations). Additionally, antennas would be painted a color to match existing antennas. All other associated ground equipment would be placed within the site and screened from adjacent properties either within enclosed buildings, or by landscaping and fencing.
Staff is supportive of the proposed wireless facility, as the proposed project complies with the applicable development standards as set forth in SMC Chapter 19.54 and the tower modification is not considered a substantial change under Section 6409. See Attachment 2 for required Use Permit findings and Attachment 3 for the recommended Conditions of Approval.
NEIGHBORHOOD Impacts/compatibility
The project has been designed to minimize visual impacts on surrounding areas and utilize existing infrastructure for antenna location and ground equipment. Therefore, the proposed antennas’ visibility on a taller monopole would not differ vastly from existing conditions. The antennas would be partially visible from neighboring properties to the north and south. However, the visual impact of the increased monopole height and antennas is minimal given their slim profile and location surrounded by industrial buildings and mature trees.
Fiscal Impact
No fiscal impacts other than normal fees and taxes are expected.
Public Contact
The City sent 2,392 notices to surrounding property owners and residents within 2,000 feet of the subject site in addition to standard noticing practices, including advertisement in the Sunnyvale Sun Newspaper and on-site posting. Staff has not received any letters, emails, or calls from the public at the time of staff report production.
ALTERNATIVES
Find the Project exempt from CEQA review pursuant to CEQA Guideline 15301, Existing Facilities, and
1. Approve the CEQA exemption for Existing Facilities and Approve the Use Permit based on the Recommended Finding in Attachment 2 and Recommended Conditions of Approval in Attachment 3.
2. Alternative 1 with modifications.
3. Deny the Use Permit.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Approve the CEQA exemption for Existing Facilities and Approve the Use Permit based on the Recommended Finding in Attachment 2 and Recommended Conditions of Approval in Attachment 3.
Staff is recommending approval of the proposed changes to the existing facility since it is located within an existing non-residential area and it is consistent with the requirements of the City’s Telecommunication Ordinance and Policy.
Staff
Prepared by: Mary Jeyaprakash, Senior Planner
Reviewed by: George Schroeder, Principal Planner
Approved by: Shaunn Mendrin, Planning Officer
ATTACHMENTS
1. Vicinity and Noticing Map
2. Recommended Findings
3. Recommended Conditions of Approval and Standard Development Requirements
4. Site and Architectural Plans
5. Photo Simulations
6. Radio Frequency Report
7. List of Previously Approved Wireless Telecommunications Facilities