Carmel-by-the-Sea city officials said the city’s wireless ordinance adopted last year will be considered by the California Coastal Commission on May 8 in Half Moon Bay, and Coastal Commission staff has recommended approval of the ordinance as written.

City officials told the council that Coastal Commission staff described the city’s ordinance as “by far the most protective of the coastal resources that they’ve seen in our region.” The official said similar ordinances have been rare in the last five years and noted Santa Cruz recently had its wireless ordinance sent back for modification by the Coastal Commission.

The official said litigation with Verizon is currently on hold by agreement so Verizon can apply under the city’s new regulations. “It was placed on hold with an agreement between the city and Verizon so we could finish up our regulations because they wanted to apply under the new regulations,” the official said.

Council members were reminded that the city previously adopted application standards; the pending ordinance primarily completes the regulatory framework. The official said the city has not received applications from wireless providers under the new ordinance since its adoption, except for a single “existing facilities” request that was approved last year for an installation atop “Dowd Arcade” (described in the meeting as an existing-facilities application).

City staff also linked the city’s wireless attorney with the Coastal Commission’s attorney to confirm the ordinance does not violate applicable Federal Communications Commission requirements. The official said the staff recommendation from the Coastal Commission, if unchanged, would mean the commission approves the ordinance “with no changes.”

The city encouraged residents who wish to speak at the Coastal Commission hearing to attend in person in Half Moon Bay or to submit remote speaker requests in advance; the Coastal Commission requests people who plan to speak remotely to submit speaker requests ahead of time.

No formal city vote on the ordinance occurred during this meeting; the matter will proceed to the Coastal Commission on May 8 and any final action will depend on that hearing.