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Project Title: |
Continuing Operation of an Existing Verizon Wireless Telecommunications Facility |
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County File(s): |
#CDLP26-02017 |
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Applicant: |
Isabel Chavez, Network Connex for Verizon |
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Owner: |
Summitt Ranch Properties, LLC |
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Zoning: |
A-2 General Agricultural District |
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General Plan: |
Agricultural Lands (AL) |
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Site Address/Location: |
100 Summit Ranch Road in the Alamo area of unincorporated Contra Costa County, CA (APN: 193-190-031) |
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California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Status: |
Categorically Exempt: CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301(b), regarding existing facilities/utilities. |
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Project Planner: |
Dominique Vogelpohl, Project Planner (925) 655-2880 Dominique.Vogelpohl@dcd.cccounty.us |
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Staff Recommendation: |
Approve (See Section II for Full Recommendation) |
I. PROJECT SUMMARY
Request for approval of a Land Use Permit renewal for the continued operation of an existing Verizon wireless telecommunications facility. No modifications of the wireless facility are proposed
II. RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Zoning Administrator:
A. FIND that the project is categorically exempt from CEQA under Section 15301(b) of the CEQA Guidelines;
B. APPROVE Land Use Permit CDLP26-02017, based on the attached Findings and subject to the attached Conditions of Approval; and
C. DIRECT Staff to file a CEQA Notice of Exemption with the County Clerk.
III. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. General Plan: The subject property is located within an Agricultural Lands (AL) land use designation.
B. Zoning: The subject property is located within an A-2 General Agricultural Zoning District.
C. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Compliance: The proposed project is categorically exempt under CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301(b), regarding “Existing Facilities,” which exempts the operation, repair, maintenance, and minor alteration of existing facilities of investor-owned utilities providing electrical, gas, sewage, and other utility services.
D. Prior County Files of Relevance:
a. CDLP97-02048: A Land Use Permit to expand an existing commercial horse boarding and training facility at Summit Ranch; approved on October 6, 1997.
b. CDLP15-02018: A Land Use Permit to establish this wireless telecommunications facility that includes a faux water tank for an antenna area and a ground-level equipment area; approved on February 23, 2016, and valid for 10 years.
c. CDCV16-00097: An Initial Compliance Review to determine compliance with the Conditions of Approval for County File #CDLP15-02018; approved December 15, 2016.
d. CDWM21-00021: A Wireless Minor Alteration permit to allow non-substantial modifications of the existing wireless facility for antenna installation, and a 3-year compliance review to determine compliance with the Conditions of Approval for County File #CDLP15-02018; approved October 20, 2021.
IV. SITE/AREA DESCRIPTION
The subject property is a 22.56-acre project site is located at the eastern terminus of Serafix Road - Summit Ranch Road, adjacent to the Diablo Foothills Regional Park to the north and Mt. Diablo State Park to the east. The site and the immediately adjacent portions of the Diablo Foothills Regional Park and Mt. Diablo State Park are in the A-2 General Agricultural District. The site provides trail access to Diablo Foothills Regional Park and Mt. Diablo State Park. Single-family residences in the P-1 Planned Unit District along Serafix Road are located to the west of the project site. Single-family residences in the Round Hill Estates North residential community in the R-20 Single-Family Residential District are located to the south.
The property is currently a horse boarding and training facility. Ranch operations have been ongoing at this location since the 1950s. The existing ranch buildings were built in the 1970s. The project site is developed with horse structures such as stables and indoor riding arenas, a residence, outdoor pens, an outdoor corral, and parking. The site is within the Urban Limit Line and serves as an effective transition zone between the suburban residential development to the west and south, and the open space parklands to the north and east, which are outside of the Urban Limit Line.
V. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Approval of Land Use Permit CDLP26-02017 would allow the continued operation of the existing Verizon wireless telecommunications facility, consisting of the following elements:
• 15-foot-wide non-exclusive easement (access road and utility easement) to a 6-foot-wide non-exclusive easement (access road and utility easement).
• 6-foot-wide utility easement.
• 225 square-foot (15’x15’) lease area for the 25-foot-tall faux water tank antenna tower.
• 356 square-foot (14’10”x24’) equipment shelter that includes a 30kw back-up generator with a 132-gallon fuel tank, 2 H frames with ancillary equipment, and 2 equipment cabinets.
• The antenna area (2 sectors) within the faux water tank includes: 3 antennas (per sector), 3 radio units (per sector), and 2 surge protectors (per sector).
No modifications of the wireless facility or its lease area are proposed with this Land Use Permit application.
VI. AGENCY COMMENTS
A. Alamo Municipal Advisory Council (MAC): The MAC considered this application at their June 2, 2026, meeting, and they unanimously recommended approval and had no further comments.
B. Alamo Improvement Association (AIA): In a memo dated May 28, 2026, the AIA stated they unanimously recommended approval and had no further comments.
C. Central Contra Costa Sanitary District: In correspondence received on June 12, 2026, the Sanitary District stated they have no comments.
D. East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD): In correspondence received on May 21, 2026, EBMUD stated they have no comments.
All received agency comments are attached to this staff report. Comments were also solicited from the Contra Costa County, Building Inspection Division, Contra Costa County Environmental Health Division, and the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District. No comments were received from these agencies prior to the preparation of this report.
VII. STAFF ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
A. General Plan: The subject property is located in the County’s Agricultural Lands (AL) General Plan land use designation, which includes privately-owned rural land, excluding land with prime soils or lands in east County in or near the Delta. The purpose of the Agricultural Lands designation is to preserve and protect agricultural use of the land. The subject property’s horse boarding and training facility is consistent with this designation. Wireless telecommunications facilities are allowed within this designation if the facility does not detract from the primary agricultural use. The existing facility includes a faux water tower and an equipment enclosure, both of which would be close to the existing horse facility structures and were constructed to be consistent with the existing facilities. Thus, the existing horse facility continues to be a horse facility with installation of the telecommunications structures. Therefore, the continuing operation of this existing wireless telecommunications facility is consistent with the policies and goals of the County’s General Plan.
B. Zoning: The project site is located within an A-2 General Agricultural Zoning District. Pursuant to County Code Section 84-38.404(4), the A-2 district allows commercial radio and television receiving and transmitting facilities, excluding broadcasting studios or business offices, upon the granting of a land use permit. This Land Use Permit is to allow for the continued operation of an existing, compliant facility that includes a stealth antenna structure, wherein the antennas would be completely contained within a faux water tower, and a camouflaged equipment enclosure, which are consistent with the intent and purpose of the agricultural district. Lastly, the facility’s existing lease areas, buildings and structures meet all of the development standards of the A-2 district. Therefore, the continued operation of this existing facility is consistent with the A-2 district.
C. Wireless Telecommunications Facilities Ordinance (Chapter 88-24): The subject wireless telecommunications facility was established under a Land Use Permit #CDLP15-02018 that expired on February 23, 2026. Pursuant to County Ordinance §88-24.620(a), a land use permit or other discretionary approval issued prior to the enactment of Chapter 88-24 may be renewed in accordance with the requirements in effect at the time the discretionary approval was issued, provided that an application for renewal is received prior to its expiration date. The operating permit for the subject communications tower expired prior to the submittal of this application. Therefore, the proposed renewal will be processed under the County’s current Wireless Ordinance, Chapter 88-24 of the County Code.
The applicant is seeking a Land Use permit for the continuing operation of an existing wireless telecommunications facility. As designed and conditioned, the facility will remain in compliance with the Wireless Ordinance in terms of location, building standards and operational requirements.
Pursuant to the location requirements of Section 88-24.406, collocation is encouraged, and no new tower can be located within 1,000 feet of an existing tower unless certain findings are made. A new facility must also not visually impact a scenic ridgeline unless the facility is required to close a significant gap in coverage. This existing facility includes an existing antenna tower and there is not another tower within 1,000 feet. The facility is also not located within proximity of a County-designated scenic ridge. Section 88-24.406(d) requires telecommunications facilities to meet the setback requirements that apply in the zoning district where the facility is located. The facility’s existing lease areas, buildings and structures for this facility meet all of the development standards of the A-2 district. Therefore, the existing facility meets the location requirements of Section 88-24.406 of the Wireless Ordinance.
Pursuant to the design guidelines of Section 88-24.408(a), the facility must meet or exceed design requirements to reduce the facility’s visual and aesthetic impacts. As conditioned, the existing facility meets this criterion as it is a stealth antenna structure, wherein the antennas would be completely contained within a faux water tower, with a camouflaged equipment enclosure, and will be maintained with enforcement of the conditions of approval when a modification is made to the facility.
Lastly, pursuant to the safety and security guidelines of Section 88-24.412, the facility is also consistent with the location, safety and security, and operational requirements of the Wireless Ordinance. The facility is on private property behind locked gates and not accessible to the general public, only accessible to authorized personnel.
Therefore, the entire wireless telecommunications facility as conditioned is consistent with the requirements of the County Wireless Ordinance.
D. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Compliance: As an agency, the FCC has adopted radio frequency protection standards, which establish safety levels with respect to human exposure to radio frequency (RF) emissions. These standards are jointly published by the American National Standards Institute and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The standards prescribe limits for continuous exposure to radio RF emissions. No changes to the communications equipment are proposed and all existing antennas will remain. The last modification that altered RF emissions for this facility was new antenna installation in 2024. A Radio Frequency-Electromagnetic Energy (RF-EME) Compliance Report prepared by Telnet, Inc. (February 24, 2021) approved under County File #CDWM21-00021 evaluated the cumulative impacts of the telecommunications facility and concluded that the facility is compliant with the allowable threshold standards pursuant to the federal government and will remain compliant with the FCC standards for RF emissions.
E. Appropriateness of Use: The subject wireless telecommunications facility has been established on the subject property since 2018. Wireless communications facilities are conditionally allowed within the AL General Plan land use designation and the A-2 zoning districts. The County is unaware of any nuisances arising from the operation of the existing facility to date. Wireless telecommunication facilities provide a vital service to both residents and visitors of the County and are relied upon for general communication needs and for emergency personnel such as Fire and Sheriff Department Staff.
VIII. CONCLUSION
The continuing operation of the existing Verizon wireless telecommunications facility is consistent with the County General Plan Agricultural Lands (AL) land use designation, compliant with the applicable standards and policies of the County Zoning Ordinance, and as conditioned is consistent with the provisions of the County’s Wireless Telecommunication Facilities Ordinance. Therefore, staff recommends that the Zoning Administrator approve County File #CDLP26-02017 based on the attached findings and subject to the attached conditions of approval.