Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
City outlines Oak Avenue EV charger project, acknowledges tree removals and limited conditioning authority
Loading...
Summary
Staff presented plans for 11 level-3 chargers and parking reconfiguration at the Oak Avenue lot, explaining conduit and ADA requirements necessitate removing some landscaping and smaller trees; staff cited state legislation limiting local conditions and said the vendor must meet PG&E and permitting requirements. Item 10.5 (license agreement with Bode EV) was pulled for a later hearing.
City staff described plans to install electric vehicle fast chargers in the Oak Avenue parking lot and said the project will change the lot layout and remove some planting to accommodate conduit and charger locations.
Director Leach said the finished design anticipates 11 level-3 chargers plus one ADA van-accessible space, for 12 total stalls, and that the vendor is required to meet PG&E requirements and secure necessary permits. He described plan review, issuance of an encroachment permit and the limits of what the city can condition because of state law read during the presentation.
On landscaping and trees: Leach said that, despite attempts to preserve trees, the proposed charger and conduit layout requires removing some planters and trees near the northern curb to permit charger locations and widened drive aisles. "The trees really weren't gonna be able to be maintained because of the configuration of what was needed for the chargers and the parking associated with it," Leach said.
Legal constraints and outreach: In the presentation staff referenced state legislation (read in the meeting as "AB 20 12 28 12 36") and explained that state law constrains local agencies from conditioning vendor-driven projects except for clearly defined public health or safety impacts; staff also noted municipal-code processes and that the project was routed through the encroachment-permit process. Council members pressed staff about whether the vendor could be asked to adjust the design or add mitigation, and Leach said the project is largely advanced but staff will explore any feasible mitigation and community engagement for beautification.
Pulled item: Earlier in the meeting staff announced item 10.5, the license agreement with Bode EV for charging stations at City Hall, would be pulled and rescheduled; the council approved pulling the item and did not consider it tonight.
Next steps: Staff will return with further information and work to identify mitigations or enhancements where possible, while noting that some aspects are limited by state law and project staging.
