AGENDA REPORT
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 7/18/2018
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Community Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
City Council consideration to take no action, thereby affirming the Planning and Housing Commission's action granting Conditional Use Permit 2017-0105, to establish two 78-foot high wireless telecommunications facilities designed as ballfield light poles within Santana Regional Park (located at 598 Santana Way) in the (P) Park Zone, or set the item for review at a subsequent meeting. (Applicant: AT&T Mobility)
End
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
1. Take no action, thereby affirming the Planning and Housing Commission's action granting CUP2017-0105, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval.
-OR-
2. Set the item for review at a subsequent meeting.
Body
ANALYSIS:
The telecommunications carrier associated with CUP2017-0105 is AT&T. The purpose of the application is to increase the capacity, speed and reliability of its existing cellular phone coverage and data network in an area that is currently experiencing a gap in 4G-LTE network coverage. Propagation maps were submitted to city showing the four closest AT&T telecommunications facilities to the project site. Two existing facilities are located within a one-mile radius southwest of Santana Park in the area of Main Street and Magnolia Avenue, and on Chase Drive, west of Main Street. The other two existing facilities are located within 1.5 mile radius northeast and southeast of Santana Park near Interstate 15. The northeast location is off California Avenue and the southeast location is off Taber Street.
Currently, without the project the area mostly provides in-transit coverage (pedestrian on-street coverage and on-street in vehicle coverage), but not enough coverage for customers inside an enclosed building. With the project, the in-building coverage increases and fills the current gap. The proposed telecommunications facility is therefore necessary in order for AT&T to meet the service demand for their customers.
Santana Regional Park is a 49-acre parcel located north of Santana Way, east of Magnolia Avenue, south of Ontario Avenue and west of Kellogg Avenue. The site is completely developed as a sports park and contains softball and soccer fields, a skate park, playground, restrooms, picnic shelter and a barbecue area.
AT&T is proposing to replace an existing ballfield light pole located towards the center of the park with a new 78-foot high wireless telecommunications facility designed to resemble a ballfield light pole. The lights will also be operational for the field. AT&T is proposing to construct a second ballfield light pole approximately 86-feet north of the first installation. Two poles are necessary to ensure the flush mounted antennas receive and deliver signals from the other AT&T facilities in the area. The ballfield light poles will contain flush mounted antennas, Radio Remote Units (RRU's) and surge suppressors. However, one pole will include a microwave antenna.
Both ballfield light standards will be identical to each other and will be 78 feet high and contain the same number of stadium lights, antennas, RRU's and surge suppressors, with the exception that one ballfield light pole will have a microwave antenna. The ballfield light poles will be like the existing ballfield light poles located throughout the Park. Additionally, the ballfield light poles proposed by AT&T are not structurally capable of holding more than one carrier; therefore, the proposed facilities will not be co-locatable.
It is worth mentioning Santana Regional Park currently has two wireless telecommunications facilities; one is an 80-foot high ballfield light pole for Sprint, and the second is a 70-foot high ballfield light pole for Verizon. Both facilities are located on the northwesterly portion of the site. AT&T thoroughly considered the two existing facilities; however, neither of the locations provided the necessary coverage to fill the service gap.
The associated equipment will be housed within an existing building located on the easterly side of the park approximately 286-feet east of the two proposed wireless telecommunication facilities. The equipment lease area is 220 square feet and will be contained within the southeast corner of an existing building used as the snack bar during recreational games. Additionally, a 30kw diesel generator will be placed next to the existing trash enclosure located on the easterly side of the park adjacent to the parking lot and Kellogg Avenue. The generator will be screened with an eight-foot high splitface CMU block enclosure to match the existing trash enclosure.
Parks and Recreation Commission
The proposal was discussed with the Parks and Recreation Commission at their meeting on May 9, 2018. The Commissioners wanted to ensure the light poles would not affect play in the field (additional shadow or glare from the second light pole) and that the facility does not pose a health risk to park patrons. City staff indicated the lights would not affect the play area. The applicant stated health risks associated with telecommunications facilities have been studied by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and they have determined cell towers do not pose health risks to patrons.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
Not applicable.
STRATEGIC PLAN:
Not applicable.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The applicant has paid all the required application processing fees. Additionally, the applicant is required to enter into a License Agreement with the City of Corona to place the AT&T wireless telecommunications facilities at Santana Regional Park. The initial monthly license payment is $2,400 per month with an annual escalator of 4%. The initial term is five years and there are four additional five-year renewal periods.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
Per Article 19 Categorical Exemptions, Section 15303 of the State Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Section 3.20 of the Local CEQA Guidelines, a Notice of Exemption has been prepared for the project because Section 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures), Class 3 consists of construction and location of limited numbers of new, small facilities or structures and installation of small new equipment and facilities in small structures. CMC Section 17.65.040, subject to state regulations requires CEQA review for facilities that have the potential for co-location. The facilities proposed under CUP2017-0105 are not designed for co-location. For this reason, a notice of exemption was prepared for the project.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of June 26, 2018, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Jones/Dunn) with Commissioner Carrillo and Commission Ruscigno absent, that the Planning and Housing Commission adopt Resolution No. 2512 granting CUP2017-0105, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval. The minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting are included as Exhibit 5.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
REVIEWED BY: KERRY D. EDEN, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER/ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR
REVIEWED BY: MICHELE NISSEN, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
SUBMITTED BY: DARRELL TALBERT, CITY MANAGER
Exhibits:
1. Locational and Zoning Map.
2. Site Plan for CUP2017-0105.
3. Light Pole Elevations.
4. Planning and Housing Commission Staff Report.
5. Draft Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of June 25, 2018.
APPLICANT INFORMATION
Smartlink, LLC for AT&T Mobility,18401 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 400, Irvine, CA 92612