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

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In a private residential setting, requir- ing permits for users or placing stations in existing carports where the person leases the space can help avoid more sophisti- cated stations where a pass is required. While electricity is the main cost, mainte- nance and replacement of stations is an- other factor. Commercial uses, especially larger shopping centers, wilt also face many of the same issues. Commercial entities are already requesting installation of stations at existing developments, weft ahead of the development of regulations at the lo- cal level. Surface parking lots at medium and large shopping centers wit! likely pose the greatest challenges due to the layout of parking tots, pedestrian traffic between parking lanes; shopping carts, and other physical obstacles. While private landowners will ulti- mately have to deal with their own liabili- ties, local governments have a duty to keep people safe and reduce potential hazards. Communities wilt have to work with stake- holders to determine the best locations for charging stations, taking into consideration convenience, safety, and other factors prior to amending the local zoning ordinance. Setting aside parking spaces for EV users at existing commercial centers with surface parking tots can also create parking congestion. Transforming existing parking spaces into charging stations will reduce the number of spaces allowed for general use. Local governments wilt need to review requests on a development -by -development basis to determine how congested existing parking is and what the effect will be of tak- ing spaces away from all users. As communities continue to grow, they can avoid many of the challenges presented by retrofitting by requiring the installation and set -aside of recharging spaces in a safe and efficient manner for new developments. The next section looks at how some commu- nities are addressing the issues discussed earlier for new development, including ini- tiatives and incentives by states and groups like the U.S. Green Building Council. EXISTING INITIATIVES Major financial incentives are in place to get people to consider purchasing EVs. The IRS is offering a $7,50o tax credit for the pur- chase of an EV, and states have additional incentives, with California and Georgia each providing $q,000 in additional tax credits. Many state governments also provide grants to help consumers pay for the cost of charg- ing stations at their homes. Meanwhile, millions of dollars have been doted out to companies for continued research and de- velopment to improve related technologies. Since there is a strong effort to get EVs on the streets, there needs to be a similar effort to get charging stations on the streets. The strongest initiative for providing charging stations is occurring in California's Bay Area. The mayors of San Francisco, Oakland, and plug-in electric vehicles. While this is important since demand will be higher in these neighborhoods, it is likely difficult to determine who wilt buy plug-in vehicles until a profile can be made after vehicles are widely available. Furthermore, since one of the major efforts is to instalt charg- ing stations at owners' homes, public sta- tions should be focused on places of more frequent activity when users are away from home. Communities will have to work with stakeholders to determine the best locations for charging stations, taking into consideration convenience, safety, and other factors prior to amending the local zoning ordinance. San Jose have developed a partnership to get charging stations placed in communities throughout the region. These cities are also looking to enhance their municipal fleets by purchasing more EVs. Currently, seven com- munities in the Bay Area and Northern Cali- fornia have installed charging stations. King County, Washington, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus package) and financial assistance from King County municipalities, approved of the installation of zoo charging stations on county -owned lands. Users wilt be able to access the stations by making an online reservation. The county is still in the process of deter- mining where to place most of the stations. Sb far, it has placed Levet I (no volt) units at park - and -ride carpooling lots throughout the county as part of an initiative to promote plug-in car use prior to the unveiling of the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf. There are no Level II sta- tions currently installed, but the county's trans- portation department is working with the Puget Sound Regional Council (Seattle's regional MPO) to determine the best locations. How- ever, only 25 percent of the funding for installa- tion of Level II stations is designated for public chargers; most funds are being allocated for installations at private residences. White Level III station installation is not part of this rollout, the county recognizes the eventual need for strategically located fast -charging stations. Part of King County's effort in deter- mining the location of public charging sta- tions is trying to predict which neighbor- hoods have residents likely to purchase The county has partnered regionally with Oregon and British Columbia representa- tives to understand where stations should be located for travel between southern Oregon and Vancouver on the I-5 corridor. This study is in its infancy, but is important to make sure EV owners are not stymied from travel due to a tack of stations. Along with the EV project, King County is also working to make sure us- ers can find EV stations by GPS. Nissan will offer this feature with the purchase of a Leaf. Finally, another important King County regional initiative is the creation ofa model ordinance to help municipalities understand how the stations can be installed, in which land -use areas they can be located, and what local permits are required.The main goal of this is to make sure all municipalities across King County properly install and locate charg- ing stations. Another important use for the model ordinance is to help potential purchas- ers have transparency with dealerships by making sure the locations where the vehicles will be used will allow the installation of charging stations. The ordinance was not complete as of the date of publication. Many public charging stations will also be used for charging municipal fleet vehicles. Although the installation effort is admirable, current policies concerning the number and type of units installed should be scrutinized by other communities looking to install charging stations. For example, in Martinez, California, three no Volt units were installed for public use and for charging four municipal vehicles. These Levet I units will take at least five hours ZONINGPRACTICE 7.10 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIAilON !paleI 5 ,