Architectural Review Board - August 6, 2026

Palo Alto’s Architectural Review Board unanimously recommended a new set of design and review standards for certain wireless communication facilities in the public right-of-way, sending the proposal to the Planning and Transportation Commission and then the City Council for consideration.

The proposed framework would govern future Tier 2 and Tier 3 wireless facilities, including equipment installed on streetlight and utility poles. Projects that meet the objective standards would not require an Architectural Review Board hearing; applications seeking deviations would be reviewed by the board.

The board’s recommendation follows the City Council’s 2025 direction to develop a review process and standards for such facilities after prior objective standards were repealed that year. The city has received only one Tier 2 public-right-of-way application for board review since then, staff said.

Design standards address equipment, poles and siting

Board members recommended retaining a residential-zone exclusion area intended to keep facilities away from the central portion of adjacent residential parcels. They also asked staff to have the City Council consider extending any school-related siting provision to private schools and licensed child-care facilities, while leaving decisions about setback distances to other city bodies.

The recommended standards would favor top-mounted antennas, with separate radio equipment placed as high on a pole as practical when the equipment cannot be combined. The board removed an earlier preference for underground radio equipment after staff said underground installation is generally not feasible because of signal, cooling and moisture concerns.

The board also called for radio equipment to use the smallest feasible enclosure and for wiring and cabling to be concealed. It clarified that an existing streetlight or utility pole would be replaced only when reuse is not possible, rather than requiring replacement for every wireless installation.

City staff said pole replacements and related utility issues are evaluated case by case. New poles in designated downtown, California Avenue and parts of Middlefield Road areas would also be subject to applicable streetlight design guidelines.

Next steps

The recommendation will go to the Planning and Transportation Commission for review before being considered by the City Council. The council would decide whether to adopt the standards and process.

During the discussion, staff said it had not yet hired the consultant the City Council requested to study the technical feasibility of larger setbacks from residences, schools and day-care facilities, citing staffing constraints and housing priorities. Staff presented earlier city analysis showing that a 100-foot setback from buildings would exclude about 98% of mapped wood utility poles from hosting wireless equipment.

Primary sources

Watch the meeting on YouTube · Read the official meeting packet