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Council approves 16 Tesla superchargers at Kroger, grants front-setback exception
Summary
Council unanimously approved a setback exception for 16 Tesla superchargers at the Windward Kroger shopping center after staff and Tesla representatives described equipment, utility coordination, landscape screening and dedicated lighting plans.
The Alpharetta City Council voted unanimously on Sept. 22 to approve an exception allowing Tesla to install 16 supercharging stalls and associated equipment within the 50-foot front setback at the Kroger shopping center in Windward Commons (12870 Highway 9). The application sought to retrofit 23 existing parking stalls into 16 charging spaces and proposed additional landscape screening and one ADA-accessible stall.
Director Cook told council the chargers (posts about 6.5 feet tall and cabinets around 7.5 feet) would be screened with evergreen plantings and that staff recommended approval with conditions, including a prohibition on awnings or other associated structures without a separate return to council.
Olivier Coquillo, Tesla deployment manager, described upgraded v4 equipment that supports North American Charging Standard (NACS) compatibility allowing many non‑Tesla electric vehicles to charge at the sites, cited utilization data from Avalon (high monthly sessions and recurring "waiter" events) as justification for an additional station in Alpharetta, and said Georgia Power has already coordinated transformer sizing and permitted a transformer location on the plan. Tesla also described plans for dedicated lighting fed from the station transformer, trash servicing agreements with the property owner and routine maintenance and service support.
Council asked technical and safety questions about canopy restrictions, precedent-setting implications for setbacks, lighting and safety for overnight users, payment/charging methods (Coquillo said customers pay by kilowatt-hour through the Tesla account), and who provides infrastructure and lighting (Tesla coordinates with Georgia Power and installs transformer and lighting poles as part of the project). The council added a condition that light fixtures "shall complement existing lighting" and require staff approval for fixtures.
Next steps: With council approval and the conditions in place, Tesla and the property owner will proceed with permitting and utility coordination required for construction and transformer installation.
