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Council approves 30-year communication-site ground lease with one-time signing payment and 3% annual increases
Summary
Washington City Council approved a 30-year ground lease for a new communication tower in a park area, including a $30,000 one-time payment and annual 3% rent increases; council rejected a proposed facility expansion for technical/site-conflict reasons.
Washington City Council on Sept. 24 approved a communication-site ground lease agreement for a cellular tower sited in city parkland and voted to deny an expansion that would have enlarged the facility.
City staff explained the lease includes a $30,000 one-time payment (described in the discussion as a signing bonus), annual rent increases of 3% and a 30-year term. Staff said the lessee had asked to expand the site to accommodate more equipment, but underground utilities and site constraints made the expansion infeasible.
A city staff member identified as Blake explained the $30,000 figure came from negotiations that accounted for inflation and adjustments since the prior 2020 rates. Blake said the one-time payment was offered by the lessee as a signing bonus and that the city and lessee agreed on terms the parties found acceptable. City staff also said the lease contains standard performance clauses that allow the city to take action if the lessee fails to maintain facilities.
Council members asked whether the long lease could be revisited in 20 years; staff said some clauses support enforcement and performance remedies, but the standard lease term remains 30 years. The mayor confirmed the city will remove a proposed road connection from the transportation master plan that previously had crossed the tower site, which staff said eliminated a future conflict.
Action and vote: The council voted to approve the ground lease by roll call; roll-call voting recorded an aye tally and the motion passed (recorded as approved in the transcript). The transcript records the motion and a roll-call vote that produced final approval (recorded as "approved 5 to 0").
Why it matters: A 30-year lease and a one-time payment structure set long-term revenue and site-use expectations for the city; the decision also resolves a potential conflict between parkland and a previously mapped roadway.
