Agenda - Planning Commission - 09/16/2010 - Special Meeting

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conditions. Initially, this should be done through a study or a local comprehensive plan update process. The zoning districts in which stations are permitted should be based on several factors. First, wires wilt come from a station and connect into a vehicle; wires can be hazardous for pedestrians and can create an unattractive nuisance. The vehicle witl have to occupy a space for at least 3o minutes with a high -voltage outlet to charge, and much longer times are required for the lower voltage chargers that are more widely avail- able at this time. Though allowing charging stations as a use within specific zoning districts wilt open the door for their development, the act of placing charging stations into the built envi- ronment is much more of a challenge. There are many issues to consider. EVSE Locations Wheelstop --- —, —EV Parking Signs Assuming there is agreement to place charging stations in these private areas, the charging stations' locations must be con- sidered. First, itwill need to be determined whether a few stations should be placed strate- gically around a site, or whether a central loca- tion should be set aside for charging all vehicles within a complex.This decision will be partly based on several other issues discussed below. The size and layout of the complex or neighborhood should be the first consider- ation. For larger neighborhoods, one or sev- eral centralized charging stations would be most efficient, keeping in mind the general rule that people will not walk further than five minutes or one -quarter mile from their place of residence. A centralized parking location would also provide the opportunity for extra security to prevent mischief or ac- cidents in areas with high foot traffic. Q This diagram shows how public charging stations could be integrated into existing surface parking lots. Higher density residential areas with no off-street parking, such as apartments, dormi- tories, and similar dwelling types, create the biggest challenges for siting charging stations. In areas like San Francisco and Washington, D.C., where single-family attached town houses or row houses are prevalent, charging stations affixed to the buildings themselves may not be viable. Cords stretching across sidewalks would create a hazard and might be a detriment to the pedestrian and bicycling environment. In these areas, the vehicle user will need the owner of the property or the ju- risdiction to install the station. For smaller neighborhoods, sporadic placement of stations would be more efficient. In areas where parking is assigned to teasing residents, placing a station for their use in a specific parking space would not be viable since apartments change hands fairly regularly. This means apartment complexes, dormitories, and othertypes of multifamily developmentthat place stations in designated spaces will have to restrict use of those spaces to EV owners. This creates two obstacles: enforce- ment of designated parking and an overall loss of parking spaces. Similar to parking spaces for the handicapped, use of these spaces must be limited to recharging ve- hicles. For private parking facilities, owners or managers will have to come up with a system of enforcement, including punish- ment for misuse (fines or towing), permitting (stickers or other labels), and outreach to the community to provide information on the stations and their restrictions. Sporadic placement of stations again brings up safety and vandalism problems. If everyone has access to a charging area, it is likely cords will be cut. Children running between cars and the curb could trip oroth- erwise be injured, and an endless number of other scenarios could lead to lawsuits. More importantly for this article, it reduces the likeliness of installing charging stations. Sta- tions may need to be installed near existing security stations or monitored by camera to help decrease the chance of vandalism. The stations should also be located away from sidewalks and bicycle areas, near walls, and preferably alongside parallel parking areas. Since most parking lots are designed for perpendicular and angle parking, the wall is important to limit traffic between the areas in the front or rear of the car where the cord will be stretched to the outlet. If communities install chargers on pub- lic streets, the local jurisdiction will have to work through the same issues discussed for private developers. However, resolving these issues can be more complicated in the public realm. The location and type of charging station (speed of charge and pay versus free) are the most vital issues. Staff studies, committee reviews, policy adop- tion, and allocation of funds can take a tong time. On -street charging areas will need to be specifically designated for EVs only, and communitywide training and outreach will be required for code enforcement officers, police, residents, and visitors. This will in- clude creating signage for EVs and deciding on how to monitor the security of the sta- tions. These types of campaigns may require extensive partnerships and planning. Cost is also an issue that needs to be considered in advance. Users will likely ei- ther "pay at the pump" by using a card or a pass with a barcode or other identifying de- vice, or simply plug in without paying. While the pass allows a driver to use the charging station, it also gives the owner of the station the ability to charge the user immediately like gas stations now do. Without a way to identify the user, plugging in to public charg- ing stations will likely require passing on the cost to everyone, including non -users. 114 ZONINGPRACTICE 7.10 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION (page 4