Glendale City Council Meeting Wrap-Up: Cell tower regulations

The council introduced a set of regulations for local cellular antennas, setting the stage for a final vote next week.

Officials have spent more than a year crafting the regulations. The council first introduced a moratorium on all cellular antenna applications in response to a T-Mobile proposal for the 500 block of Cumberland Road that prompted residents to organize an opposition campaign.

The proposed regulations — which greatly increase city oversight of the antenna’s placement — take a tiered approach in which cellular equipment proposed for residential areas or in an “unattractive form” would face a more intense review process.

The ordinance would also require carriers to prove why the equipment is needed, and possibly face Planning Commission review. Telecommunications companies have argued that the proliferation of antennas in residential neighborhoods are in response to consumer demand.

WHAT IT MEANS

Council members on Tuesday indicated support for the regulations, so the ordinance will likely be passed when it comes back to the dais.