Community Corner
What is that Pole on the Corner of Camino Tassajara and Diablo Road?
A large pole at the busy intersection near Vista Grande Elementary is drawing attention as the vegetation that surrounds it recedes.
Passing the intersection of Diablo Road and Camino Tassajara, you may wonder about the large dark pole jutting into the sky in Bret Harte Park.
It's a cell phone tower.
A cell phone tower has been operated by T-Mobile on the site adjacent to since 1999, said Danville's principal planner, David Crompton.
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The current tower is more recent, however. AT&T applied to install equipment on the same site last year, he said Crompton.
Ever increasing demands on wireless networks have wireless communications providers continually searching for new tower locations to improve and expand coverage.
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The town encourages installations being grouped together.
"We prefer not to see multiple poles," said Crompton. "So, where it makes sense we want providers to cooperate with each other and co-locate on the poles."
In order to co-locate the providers, AT&T had to put up a larger diameter pole.
Some might be curious about the location, and tower aesthetics and health impacts are common community concerns.
Crompton says that according to the Town's Wireless Communication Facilities General Development Standard's ordinance, wherever possible such installations are placed on publicly owned or controlled property. The town also receives revenue from companies that lease the land.
According to the ordinance, wireless communication facilities may be allowed in all zoning districts within the town, subject to land use and design standards approval.
Development standards governing the towers are designed to "minimize the overall visual impact," and favor areas in which natural vegetation can screen them from view.
Crompton says the town is barred from disallowing the towers by federal law, enacted as part of the 1996 Telecommunications Act.
Section 704 of the act established protections for telecommunications companies. One provision says towers cannot be challenged based on environmental effects of radio frequency emissions if those emissions comply with FCC regulations.
