Lake County planning commissioners voted to approve a proposed 150-foot lattice wireless communication tower for Sequoia on behalf of Verizon at 16200 East Highway 20 in Clear Lake Oaks, adopting the staff-recommended Mitigated Negative Declaration IS24-03 and approving major use permit PL2560/UP24-03 with conditions including a 300-foot fire-safety clearance.

Trish Turner, an associate planner with Lake County Community Development, told the commission the project would install a 150-foot lattice tower with nine antennas, three microwave antennas, nine remote radio units, two surge suppressors, one GPS antenna, three equipment cabinets, a 30-kilowatt diesel generator and a 147‑gallon diesel fuel storage tank. Turner said the site sits roughly 1.91 miles east of the Clear Lake Oaks community growth boundary on a hilltop already developed with an existing lattice wireless facility and PG&E transmission infrastructure, and that the nearest off‑site residence is about 1,900 feet away.

Turner said staff analyzed the project against the Lake County General Plan, the Shoreline Communities Area Plan and the Lake County zoning ordinance (articles cited in the staff report), and recommended adoption of the Mitigated Negative Declaration and approval of the use permit with the conditions listed in the report.

Public commenters supported improved coverage along the Highway 20 corridor but pressed the commission on wildfire protections and visual impacts. Holly Harris, a Clear Lake Oaks resident and East Region Town Hall member, said Cal Fire and the North Shore Fire Protection District comments were not included in the packet and asked for confirmation of CERS reporting and defensible-space measures. A fire‑safety commenter urged a 300‑foot clearance around the site to protect critical infrastructure and neighboring property during wildfire events.

Justin Grondijk of Sequoia Deployment Services, representing Verizon via Zoom, said the company attempted to collocate on an existing AT&T tower but the terrain prevented meeting coverage objectives and that collocation was not feasible at that site. Grondijk told the commission, “Verizon will accept that and we concur with all staff conditions at this point,” referring to the proposed vegetation‑clearance condition.

Commissioners discussed visual criteria, existing nearby utility towers and the project’s proximity to the scenic combining district. Staff noted the scenic‑combining setback is 500 feet and that the proposed tower is about 25 feet outside that setback; staff concluded only one of the ordinance’s scenic criteria applied and that the project would not introduce an unusual or incompatible element given surrounding infrastructure.

After discussion, an unnamed commissioner moved to find that potential impacts could be mitigated to less‑than‑significant levels through the Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS24-03) and to approve the major use permit PL2560/UP24-03 as described in the staff report dated 11/17/2025. The motion was amended during the meeting to include a 300‑foot fire‑safety clearance. Commissioners recorded affirmative votes and the motion passed. The clerk reminded the applicant and any interested party of the seven‑calendar‑day appeal period under the zoning ordinance.

Next steps: the project may proceed subject to the permit conditions unless an appeal is filed to the Board of Supervisors within seven calendar days.