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San Benito veterans park commission delays decision on Verizon lease, seeks safety and financial details
Summary
The Veterans Memorial Park Commission declined to direct staff on Verizon's offer to either reduce monthly rent to $1,900 with a 2% annual increase or accept a $429,015 lump-sum easement payment, instead asking for maps, environmental reports, maintenance clarification and an accounting of past lease revenue before advising the Board of Supervisors.
The Veterans Memorial Park Commission on Monday declined to endorse either of two proposals from Verizon for the county's cell-tower site at Veterans Memorial Park, saying commissioners need more information on safety, the footprint of any expanded easement and how prior and future revenue would be handled.
County staff told the commission that Verizon's November proposal offered two main options: a revised lease starting in January 2026 at $1,900 per month with a 2% annual escalator and an initial five-year term with four optional five-year renewals (a potential 25-year horizon), or a one-time lump-sum easement payment of $429,015 in exchange for a perpetual, terminable easement and a 50% revenue share on any revenue generated by additional tenants.
"There are 2 options being put on the table," Steve, county staff presenting the item, said, summarizing the proposed $1,900 monthly rent and the lump-sum alternative. "There is no official lease document that has been produced," he added, saying any final agreement would be drafted by county counsel and returned to the Board of Supervisors for approval.
Trevor Stevens, a…
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