“If it’s in a residential zone, it carries greater scrutiny,” said Christina Sansone, general counsel for the Public Works Department.
The ordinance also includes specified preferred zones and locations, more widespread community notifications, and expert reviews when necessary.
In January, the City Council approved a moratorium on the towers in residential areas after north Glendale residents mobilized against a proposed T-Mobile micro-cell site in the city right-of-way of an upscale neighborhood.
The wireless company eventually withdrew the project, but only after the City Council enacted the hold on all new cellular facilities in residential zones until attorneys could draft regulations for the equipment in residential zones.
When the City Council extended the moratorium, city officials pledged to solicit feedback from community members and industry representatives before bringing the ordinance to the Planning Commission and City Council for approval.
About 20 residents and industry professionals attended the meeting Wednesday evening at the Pacific Park Community Center to ask questions and provide input on the draft ordinance.
Members of Glendale Organized Against Cell Towers, a group of mostly north Glendale residents that formed last winter to protest the proposed micro-cell site on the 500 block of Cumberland Road, have closely followed the city’s process in drafting regulations, voicing concerns about the aesthetics of cell towers as well as potential health effects.
On Wednesday, while members of the organization commended the draft ordinance as a step in the right direction, they stressed that the ordinance should include a required setback from residential properties for antennas proposed in the public-right-of-way.
