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Planning & Zoning Commission recommends zoning amendment to define and regulate EV charging stations
Summary
Creve Coeur’s Planning & Zoning Commission voted Dec. 2 to recommend that the City Council adopt a zoning text amendment establishing definitions and regulations for electric vehicle charging stations, tying EV‑space requirements for redevelopment to existing site development plan triggers and excluding condominiums from percent‑of‑parking mandates.
The Creve Coeur Planning & Zoning Commission on Dec. 2 recommended that the City Council approve a text amendment to the zoning code to define and regulate electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, with commissioners asking for a clarifying correction to an existing site development plan section before council consideration.
City planner Bethany Moore said the draft amendment clarifies when redevelopment would require installation of EV charging spaces by tying that trigger to situations that require a site development plan. “So we did tie redevelopments that require a site development plan would then be required to install EV charging spaces,” Moore said, pointing to existing code criteria that trigger site development plans.
Moore explained the four existing site development triggers in section 4-05-10-80(b)(2) that the amendment references: projects requiring a conditional use permit (CUP) where a site development plan is required, projects that remove existing buildings and construct a new building, developments that add more than 5,000 square feet of new impermeable surface, and developments that include multiple minor site development plans. Staff said tying the EV requirement to those triggers would capture larger redevelopments while excluding minor alterations.
Commissioners discussed concerns that the current draft could unintentionally require EV spaces for small tenant changes within shopping centers because the code language reads broadly; several members suggested refining the text to limit the trigger to conditional uses that involve site changes. Moore and other staff acknowledged the difficulty in codifying every redevelopment scenario and said the recommended language represents a reasonable starting point that can be adjusted as the city gains experience.
The draft also does not impose percent‑of‑parking EV requirements on condominiums, staff said, because ownership structures make it infeasible to require individual condo owners to provide EV infrastructure in common parking spaces. Staff added that a change of NAICS/use (for example, a gas station converting exclusively to EV charging) would require a new or amended CUP because it is a different use under the zoning code.
A motion recommending approval of the draft ordinance as prepared for the Dec. 2 meeting, including the discussed corrections to Section 4-05-10-80, passed by recorded affirmative votes; the recommendation will go to the City Council for two readings. Staff estimated that, with council action, implementation could occur as soon as spring depending on the council schedule and any further revisions.
The commission indicated it intends to track the ordinance’s effectiveness and expects future adjustments as the technology and industry evolve.
