Commissioner says HOA hurdles are blocking home EV charging; planning staff cites legal limits and encourages EV-ready construction
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Summary
A commissioner described difficulty securing HOA approval to install a home EV charger in a condo and urged city efforts to remove barriers; planning staff noted legal risks of mandating chargers in ordinances but said staff encourages EV-ready construction and asked the zoning-update consultant to consider sustainability options.
Commissioner Ashley told the Minnetonka Sustainability Commission on Nov. 18 that, after buying a Kia EV6, she has been unable to obtain homeowners association approval to install a home charger in her Creeks Bend condominium.
"I am still without a home charger. I live in a condo. I am a part of the Creeks Bend, HOA community, and that has been really challenging," Ashley said, describing a month-and-a-half of reliance on public charging and the practical difficulty that creates for EV owners in multifamily housing.
The conversation prompted a planning-staff response about the city's current approach. Planning staff told commissioners Minnetonka has historically been cautious about requiring EV charging in zoning ordinances because of legal challenges in the state when local requirements exceed the state building code. At the same time, staff said they routinely urge developers to provide EV-ready infrastructure and noted that, in practice, a large share of new multifamily construction already includes EV-ready capacity.
Planning staff also said the ongoing zoning ordinance update includes a request to the consultant to consider a sustainability chapter and a menu of options that future projects could select to demonstrate EV readiness or other sustainability measures. Staff offered to pull permit-tracking data on EV-ready building features and said that reporting such data would be feasible for future strategic reporting.
Commissioners discussed other options, including requiring EV readiness in new construction or negotiating developer expectations, and asked staff to consider how the commission might help residents in multifamily housing overcome installation barriers. No ordinance change was adopted at the meeting; the discussion identified the zoning update process and City Council as the likely forums for future policy decisions.
Next steps noted by staff: staff will ask the zoning consultant to evaluate sustainability options and will explore whether EV-permit or EV-ready permit data can be tracked for reporting.