Community Board 13 backs Wildflower EV charging station in Springfield Gardens

Community Board 13 voted unanimously to support Wildflower Energy's proposed electric vehicle charging station in Springfield Gardens, the board announced after a presentation and question-and-answer session with developers and New York City Economic Development Corporation staff.

The board's motion to support the Wildflower station passed following a presentation that covered site design, security and a staged delivery plan for the required minimum of 65 public chargers. Michael Carlier, director of Community Board 13, conducted the vote; the board's chair said the ayes were unanimous.

Board members pressed project representatives on streetscape details and a construction timeline. Hillary Lovett of the New York City Economic Development Corporation said the project's construction completion is expected in 2026 and that electrical conduit work completed during construction would allow chargers to be installed afterward. Lovett said the contract includes a delivery schedule with Wildflower requiring a minimum of 30 chargers by the first anniversary of completion, an additional 20 chargers by the second anniversary and the remaining 15 chargers by the third anniversary to meet the 65-charger minimum. She added that "if demand is there, they could be delivered more quickly."

A Wildflower representative described onsite landscaping and security plans: the site plan includes shrubbery, trees and landscaped areas along the property perimeter and within drive aisles, and "we are adding green infrastructure inside the site confines." The representative also said the public charging area would be open 24/7 and that the facility would be fully secured with "8 to 10 foot perimeter fencing" and on-site security provided by the tenant operator around the clock.

Community Board members asked whether part of the site could be used for truck parking in the future to address neighborhood truck-parking pressures. The project team said the southern portion of the site had been designed to accommodate trucks in the future.

Board members also asked why the project includes only 12 fast chargers. The developers and EDC staff said the decision reflects electrical infrastructure and power-availability constraints and the size of the conduit and utility commitment required to support faster chargers; those constraints informed the contract negotiation and the mix of Level 2 and fast-charging equipment.

Before voting, a board officer noted that this was a "3-84-b(4) application," meaning only some members were eligible to vote on it; the board proceeded after an eligible member made the motion and the borough president seconded it. After roll call the chair announced: "The ayes have it. Unanimous." Board members thanked EDC and representatives for the presentation before moving on to other agenda items.

Next steps noted in the meeting record included the board asking EDC to obtain written confirmation from the Department of Transportation about any off-site streetscape commitments and to follow up with the community on specifics of the streetscape and security plans.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: "We support the Wildflower EV station project within Springfield Gardens Community Board 13." Mover: Community Board member (motion recorded on the public record). Second: borough president. Outcome: approved (unanimous).