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Planning board approves modified permit for Worcester Public Schools electric bus charging; adds trees and sidewalk extension
Summary
The board approved an amended special permit and site plan for charging infrastructure and parking reconfiguration at 115 Northeast Cutoff to accommodate electric school buses. Approval is conditioned on additional trees (10 trees agreed) and a sidewalk extension to the new passenger parking area.
Worcester — The Planning Board on Wednesday unanimously approved an amendment to the site plan and special permit for 115 Northeast Cutoff to accommodate electric vehicle charging for Worcester Public Schools buses, but added conditions requiring more landscaping and a short sidewalk extension.
The proposal converts part of the existing parking configuration to add electric chargers and spaces intended for large and medium transit vehicles. Planning staff noted the site is in the Water Resource Protection Overlay District, a sensitive area that feeds cold‑water streams and ultimately the city’s drinking water supply; that designation requires careful treatment of runoff and hazardous materials storage.
City staff asked the applicant to submit a single consolidated as‑built plan at the end of construction, to clarify the total stall counts, and to increase the number of canopy trees shading impervious surfaces. Planning requested 20 new trees citywide but agreed to a compromise with the applicant for 10 new trees to be planted to shade pavement. The board also added a condition requiring extension of the existing sidewalk along the south side of the driveway to the northeast corner of the new passenger vehicle parking area so pedestrians are not routed through bus circulation areas.
Applicant representatives said the chargers are intended to be high‑capacity units for electric buses and that final electrical design (single‑head or dual‑head chargers) will be determined by the electrical engineer and provider. The applicant agreed to provide the consolidated as‑built plan and to meet the city’s conditions.
The board approved both the special permit amendment and the site‑plan amendment on a 5‑0 vote with conditions that planted trees be placed to maximize shading of new impervious areas, that the sidewalk extension be added, and that the site plan include the DPW and planning amendments discussed at the meeting.
The approval allows the school system to finalize the site layout for charging infrastructure; the applicant must provide required final engineering and compliance documentation to planning and DPW before construction proceeds.
