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Taft approves ground lease for state middle-mile broadband hut, $18,000 annual rent
Summary
The council authorized a ground lease to the California Department of Technology for a fenced fiber hut and associated equipment as part of the middle-mile broadband project; the lease is expected to bring $18,000 annually and includes a 2,250-square-foot access easement and 2,530-square-foot site.
The Taft City Council on Oct. 21 voted 5-0 to authorize a communications ground lease with the California Department of Technology to host a fenced fiber hut, equipment shelter and backup generator as part of the statemiddle-mile broadband initiative.
City Manager Jones described the site as a 2,530-square-foot parcel just off the intersection of Highway 33 and Petroleum Club Road, with an additional 2,250-square-foot easement for access. The proposed compound would include a fiber hut, an equipment shelter, a propane generator and underground propane tanks. Staff said the project has been vetted by the Planning Commission and is intended to support an open-access middle-mile network to improve broadband availability in unserved and underserved areas.
Council members asked a brief series of operational questions. Mayor Pro Tem Bryant asked whether the lease had term or renewal dates; staff answered the agreement includes 20 years of extensions. Councilman Crier described the arrangement as a productive use of otherwise unused land and noted the $18,000 annual lease payment is a benefit to the city's budget.
A staff-recommended resolution authorizing the ground lease and finding the project exempt from CEQA under the small-structure/new-construction guideline was moved and seconded and approved on a 5-0 roll call. The lease will allow the state network to place middle-mile infrastructure on city property as part of the Bridal Mile Broadband initiative.
