Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Actions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lakewood council adopts Forge Fiber franchise ordinance and conditionally approves Station Plaza tax exemption
Summary
Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 838 granting Forge Fiber 37 LLC a non‑exclusive franchise (5‑year initial term, up to 20 years, 5% gross‑revenue fee) and approved Resolution 2025‑15 conditionally certifying a 12‑year multifamily tax exemption for Station Plaza Apartments (24 units, at least five at 80% AMI).
The Lakewood City Council adopted two actions during the regular agenda: a franchise ordinance for a new fiber provider and a conditional multifamily tax exemption for a small apartment project in the Lakewood Station District.
Ordinance 838 grants Forge Fiber 37 LLC a non‑exclusive franchise to install and operate fiber‑optic telecommunications facilities in city rights‑of‑way. Assistant to the City Manager Michael Vargas described a five‑year initial term with up to three automatic five‑year extensions (a possible 20‑year total) and noted a five‑year payment moratorium. The ordinance includes a 5% fee on the franchisee's gross revenues. Vargas said several Washington cities have adopted similar agreements recently. The council moved and adopted the ordinance by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
On housing, Economic Development Manager Becky Newton presented Resolution 2025‑15, which conditionally approves a 12‑year multifamily tax exemption (MFTE) for the Station Plaza Apartments project in the Lakewood Station District. The project would add 24 residential units, with a minimum of five units set aside as affordable at 80% of area median income (AMI), and provides 21 parking spaces; staff said the parking count reflects reduced requirements because of the site's proximity to Lakewood Station. Council discussed monitoring of affordable units, state audit requirements, and parking adequacy before moving and adopting the resolution by voice vote.
Both actions passed at the meeting without recorded dissent. The votes complete the agenda items presented; neither item generated a recorded roll‑call tally in the public record of this meeting.
