Committee backs five-year sharing agreement for VA radio tower, corrects dates

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee on March 20 voted to forward to the full board a resolution authorizing a five-year sharing agreement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for use of an 800 MHz emergency radio base station at the VA medical center.

Claudia Gorham, deputy managing director for the city’s Real Estate Division, said the agreement establishes an initial base rent of $117,648 per year with 3% annual increases beginning June 1, 2024, and three five‑year renewal options. Gorham said city appraisals and internal guidelines support that amount, and staff accepted the VA’s standard agreement template during negotiations that began in 2021.

Committee members approved two technical fixes to the resolution to align the resolution dates with the agreement (changing March references to May where needed) and then voted to forward the amended resolution to the full board. No members of the public spoke on the item.

The committee’s action does not finalize the agreement; it forwards the resolution with the committee’s positive recommendation for consideration by the full Board of Supervisors at its March 26 meeting.

Details to watch: the agreement’s term and renewal structure, the 3% annual increases starting June 1, 2024, and staff’s note that the city did not obtain a fresh appraisal specifically for the new figure but relied on recent 2023 appraisals and guidelines. The resolution was amended and approved by a committee vote that recorded two affirmative votes with the vice chair absent.