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Council debate raises costs and equity questions after staff seeks 20% EV parking requirement; bill held
Summary
Planning staff proposed raising multifamily EV parking requirements to 20% and adding EV-capable spaces and a 01/01/2025 applicability date; environmental groups supported stronger standards while retailers warned of installation costs. The committee voted to hold the bill for further work.
Planning staff detailed proposed draft 2 of CB67-2024 to modernize off-street parking rules for electric vehicles. The draft adds definitions for "EV capable," "EV ready," and "EVSE installed," raises multifamily requirements from 10% to 20% across charging categories, narrows covered commercial uses, and sets applicability for projects with detailed site plans issued on Jan. 1, 2025.
Eric Irving, the staff presenter, walked through the changes: "We've increased those percentages for multifamily from 10% to 20% for charging stations and EV ready," and said draft 2 ties compliance to detailed site plans while adding EV-capable spaces to ease future electrification. Irving also noted the draft sets a minimum reference of 208 volts as a floor for level-2 chargers so standards can adapt over time.
Environmental groups urged stronger targets. Janet Gingold, speaking for the Sierra Club, said the county needs to "accelerate the transition away from gasoline and diesel powered vehicles" and praised the 20% floor while urging a higher share of EV-ready and EV-capable spaces: "We're glad to to see that the current draft...includes 20% EV spaces, and we think 40 to 50% should be EV ready." Retail representatives warned that mandated charging infrastructure imposes costs and practical limits for many retail locations. Sarah Price of the Maryland Retailers Alliance said installation and maintenance can be costly and questioned whether shopping centers are ideal sites for chargers, noting level-3 chargers can exceed $10,000 per unit and adding complexity for retail developers.
After stakeholder testimony and discussion about implementation, the committee voted to hold CB67 for further work and coordination with agencies and developers.
