At the Dec. 5 City Council meeting, City Council members will review a recommendation to relocate a telecommunications tower to Tibbets Valley Park. The proposed move is in support of the Transit Oriented Development and Opportunity Center (TOD OC).
Proposal
Background
There is a telecommunications tower on the property, currently owned by Lumen, that has been identified as the site for the transit oriented development project. In order for that project to proceed, and for the City to receive the subsequent public benefits from that project such as affordable housing, the tower must be relocated. The Administration seeks authorization to lease a portion of Tibbetts Valley Park to Vertical Bridge, the owner and operator of the telecommunications tower.
The Safety, Services & Parks Committee discussed the draft lease in November 2022 and unanimously recommended the lease advance to City Council.
Options
1) Authorize the Administration to enter in to the lease with Vertical Bridge for a portion of Tibbetts Valley Park.
2) Direct the Administration to continue to negotiate with Vertical Bridge on terms of Council's choosing and return to Council with revised lease terms.
3) Do not enter into a lease with Vertical Bridge.
Next Steps
Pending Council authorization of the lease, Lumen and King County Housing Authority (KCHA) will finalize the sale of the future TOD OC site.
Without a lease and relocation site, Lumen will not transfer ownership of the site to KCHA. Instead, Lumen has indicated they would sell the property at market rate to another buyer who has stated they do not need to move the cell tower.