Board clears revised cellular antenna plan for Cordova Street garage with strict concealment and review conditions

The Historic Architectural Review Board on July 16 approved, with conditions, a revised plan to install cellular antennas and ancillary equipment on the exterior of the city parking garage at 1 Cordova Street.

The applicant made a second design pass and removed the most visually intrusive installations from stair towers (character-defining elements). The revised proposal places antennas on upper wall surfaces, uses flush mounts rather than pipe mounts, proposes vinyl or flush cladding to hide radio bodies and cabling and commits to painting visible surfaces to match the garage. The applicant provided a site mock-up earlier the same day; staff and board members used those observations and photo simulations to evaluate visual scale and siting.

Board members accepted the technical constraints the applicant described — some antenna beams cannot point into open parking aisles for safety and radiation‑exposure limits, which drove placement choices — and welcomed the reduction in tower-mounted equipment. Approval carries several conditions: 1) antennas and housings must be flush-mounted and painted to match adjacent surfaces; 2) all cabling must be concealed or run through minimal protective tubing and painted to match; 3) rooftop cabinets and interface boxes must be located behind parapets (not visible above the parapet) or otherwise recessed; 4) the final mounting locations must be set to align intentionally with existing vertical elements (columns or muntin lines) so placements read as a deliberate pattern rather than ad‑hoc fixtures; and 5) final locations are subject to a staff site inspection or approval step before final mounting. The board recorded its appreciation for the applicant’s iteration and the on-site mock-up, and the motion carried.