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Council approves 40-year lease for new cell site at 12 Bridges Park to improve coverage
Summary
The Lincoln City Council approved a 40-year lease for a proposed telecommunications facility at 12 Bridges Park, authorizing business terms but reserving land-use review and design approvals for the planning process.
The Lincoln City Council approved a 40-year lease agreement that will allow a third-party developer to build a telecommunications facility behind the greenfield area at 12 Bridges Park to improve cell coverage for nearby neighborhoods.
City Manager Sean Scully said the site proposed by Epic Wireless (working with Verizon and a towers company) is technically inside the park’s open-space area but was selected for elevation and distance from dwellings; planning review and a separate land-use approval process are still required before construction and antenna deployment. Scully said the council’s action was the business-only decision to authorize lease terms and necessary utility easements; land-use approvals will be considered later in the planning process.
Key financial terms recorded in staff reports are an initial lease payment of $2,000 per month with a 2.5% annual escalation, a $2,000 option fee for a two-year option period to allow the developer to complete entitlements, and an additional $200 per month for each additional colocated broadband carrier that later attaches to the tower. Staff modeled a base revenue stream of about $1.45 million over the lease term if only one carrier operates, rising to an estimated $2.5 million if additional colocations materialize.
Representatives from Epic Wireless and Vertical Bridge (the towers LLC) described the site plan and said the proposed design accommodates two additional carriers at initial build; the developer said expansions are possible if demand justifies them. Planning staff noted the public will have an opportunity for design and siting input at the planning-commission stage.
Several residents and neighborhood speakers supported the project as a public-safety and quality-of-life improvement. One resident asked for the tower to be disguised as trees; the developer said mitigation and masking are part of the planning conversation.
The council voted to approve the lease agreement by roll call. Staff indicated lease revenues will flow to the city’s general fund and will be used in accordance with budget priorities.
