Village board pauses EV charging-station law after safety and floodplain concerns

The Village Board of Trustees on Dec. 8 opened a public hearing on proposed local law PLLX of 2025 to regulate electric vehicle (EV) charging stations but voted to adjourn the hearing to the board's Jan. 12 meeting to allow staff to gather comparative municipal policies and grant details.

The village attorney (speaker 6) summarized the proposal as restricting charging stations to accessory uses — prohibiting stand‑alone charging sites on vacant lots — requiring site‑plan review when an installation reduces off‑street parking, and banning chargers in mapped flood plains and flood‑prone areas unless the zoning board grants a variance. "So PLLX is proposed legislation creating EV charging station regulations within the village," the village attorney said as the board reviewed the draft.

Trustees questioned safety and traffic implications. One trustee (speaker 2) said prior discussions with the fire department raised concerns about the difficulty of fighting vehicle battery fires and noted the village relies on volunteer firefighters. "The fire department also stated that the type of fire that occurs from those is really difficult for them to handle and we have to remember we also have a volunteer fire department," the trustee said. Another trustee (speaker 6) noted the risk that large, unattended charging lots could become traffic generators similar to service stations.

Board members also sought technical clarification about charger classes and permitting. The village attorney explained that Level 2 chargers are slower, smaller units typically seen in parking lots, while Level 3 units are commercial, rapid chargers that require more substantial permitting and infrastructure; electrical permits will be required for Level 2 and Level 3 installations. The board discussed how permit reviews would be handled: an electrical permit application would trigger a zoning referral to identify flood‑plain locations and, when appropriate, the planning board would perform site‑plan review.

Trustees asked staff to compile more examples from nearby municipalities beyond Yonkers and Ossining, and to report back on Sound‑shore communities that share the village's flood concerns. Staff agreed to gather comparative language, data and grant information, including the EV charger grant noted by staff that has a February deadline. The board then voted to adjourn the PLLX public hearing to Jan. 12 to allow time for that additional information.

The board did not take final action on PLLX at the Dec. 8 meeting; the public hearing remains open and the matter will return to the board calendar in January.