City Lifts Moratorium on Wireless Antennas

The City Council lifted a moratorium on wireless communication antennas Tuesday, setting strict guidelines on where the devices can be placed.

Working with representatives of cellular service companies, officials agreed to allow free-standing transmitters only in industrial and commercial areas. The devices must be at least 100 feet from residential neighborhoods, and special approval is required near churches, parks and schools.

“You cannot have stuff like that all over the city, and we have regulated and controlled how these type of antennas, these edifices, will be used,” Councilman John J. Collins said. “We try to establish an aesthetically pleasing city.”

Devices are not allowed to degrade the appearance of the city and must blend with the buildings on which they are mounted, Collins said. Permits for the transmitters require Planning Commission approval and must be renewed every five years.

After receiving requests from cellular providers, the council issued a moratorium on wireless communication devices in February to develop proper codes.

Fountain Valley was the second Orange County city to move this week to accommodate cellular services. The Costa Mesa City Council on Monday agreed to allow a communications firm to install cellular transmitters that work with laptop computers.