Sunroom Desk

Pasadena residents critiqued portions of their city’s draft wireless ordinance at yesterday’s city council meeting. Three weeks earlier, residents had criticized an initial draft of the ordinance for its lack of protection, lack of strong oversight, and the fact that it “gave away” city prerogatives for extended review of wireless permits.

Neighborhood advocates were pleased with most changes staff made in the amended ordinance presented last night, but asked for further changes. Their requests were supported by city council members, who called on staff to incorporate all major changes in a draft to be presented for a final vote.

Residents favored the idea of “justification studies” for wireless installations, requiring cell carriers to provide proof that a site was needed in the public right-of-way. They argued, however, that proof should be required wherever the site was located. City staff responded that “the justification for the justification study exemption” is the incentive to cell carriers to choose city-owned locations.

That wasn’t the only tongue twister of the night. Staff had prepared a map of possible city-owned locations, calling these “opportunity sites.” One resident asked, “Will we have an opportunity to discuss the opportunity sites?” A city council member expressed the same concern, as some of the city-owned sites are small lots in the middle of residential areas. A few of them are known in Pasadena as “pocket parks,” although they are not zoned as parks. This turns out to be an important distinction, because Pasadena’s proposed ordinance prohibits cell site placement in its parks.

Pasadena’s comprehensive ordinance also covers cable vaults, but one sticking point for residents had been the effort of staff to treat cable and wireless permit applications identically. Cable utility installations must be processed and approved within 60 days, according to California state law. Wireless applications currently must be approved “in a reasonable time period.”

Congratulations to the hardworking neighborhood advocates in Pasadena. They asked for a moratorium in 2007 to study this issue, stayed involved throughout the drafting and review process, and made sure residential areas received the maximum protection from wireless installations that a municipal ordinance could provide.

They appeared again in force at last night’s city council meeting with carefully prepared comments and suggestions. Members of other neighborhood coalitions, including Elise Kalfayan from GOACT, spoke in support of their efforts.