Hearing Officer to Weigh Verizon Rooftop Cellular Antennas Near Hill Avenue

The Pasadena Hearing Officer is scheduled to decide on Wednesday, Sept. 2, whether to approve Verizon Wireless’s plan to install 16 cellular antennas on the roof of a four-story mixed-use building at 333 North Hill Avenue, a project planning staff say would fill a gap in local wireless coverage.

The application, Minor Conditional Use Permit #7419, would allow Verizon to mount the antennas along with 16 Remote Radio Units and related power and fiber equipment on the rooftop of the building, which sits at the southwest corner of Hill Avenue and Corson Street just south of the Interstate 210 Freeway. Planning staff are recommending approval, subject to conditions.

For residents and businesses nearby, the project would expand cellular service in a portion of the city that Verizon and city staff identify as having a coverage gap. City staff say the rooftop equipment would be screened to blend with the building and shielded from view at street level. Because the Hearing Officer’s decision is binding, approval would clear the way for the installation unless it is appealed within 10 days.

The antennas would be arranged in four sectors — one at the northwest corner of the building, one at the southwest corner and two on the east side — with each sector holding four antennas and four Remote Radio Units. The equipment would be concealed behind fiberglass-reinforced plastic screening boxes painted to match the existing building. The screening would rise nearly 10 feet above the roof parapet, reaching a maximum height of 58 feet.

City staff determined the proposal complies with the Zoning Code’s limits on rooftop equipment. The Zoning Code allows a building’s height limit to be exceeded by up to 15 feet for rooftop appurtenances, provided they cover no more than 25 percent of the roof area. According to the staff report, the building’s roof measures about 14,725 square feet, and the combined footprint of the proposed antennas, existing roof access staircase and existing mechanical equipment would total 1,062 square feet, or 7.2 percent of the roof — well within the limit.

The building sits in the Commercial Office zoning district and contains 34 residential condominium units above ground-floor commercial space. Staff wrote that the installation would not enlarge the building or change its primary use, and that the unmanned facility would not produce odors, vibrations or noise. The report states the facility must operate in compliance with federal radio-frequency emission standards established under the Federal Communications Act of 1996, and that the applicant would be required to demonstrate compliance after installation.

Before approving the permit, the Hearing Officer must make six findings required by the Zoning Code, including that the use would not be detrimental to the surrounding neighborhood and that its design and scale are compatible with existing and future uses. Staff reported the project was reviewed by several city departments, including Public Works, the Department of Water and Power, Transportation, Building and Safety, the Fire Department and historic preservation staff, and that the Department of Water and Power’s Power Section recommended conditions that have been incorporated into the approval. No protected trees would be removed.

The Hearing Officer is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2, in the Permit Center Hearing Room at 175 North Garfield Avenue, in Pasadena. For more information call (626) 744-7311 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/agendas/.