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Planning commission votes 4–1 to forward Shell EV permits with conditions; asks for PG&E undergrounding confirmation
Summary
The commission adopted staff’s recommendation with added neighborhood protections (4–1) and unanimously asked Shell to obtain written PG&E confirmation about whether PG&E equipment could be placed underground; staff will include the documentation in the City Council packet.
After more than two hours of presentations, public comment and commissioner questions, the Piedmont Planning Commission passed a motion forwarding staff’s recommended ISMND and permit approvals to the City Council with modifications.
The principal motion, moved by Commissioner Macho and seconded by Commissioner Zarukian, recommended that City Council adopt the ISMND and conditionally approve the conditional use permit, variance, design review and sign review permits with additional conditions including limits on hours of operation (historical gas‑station hours, e.g., 6 a.m.–10 p.m.), fencing and planting around equipment, a site maintenance plan prescribing response times, signage adjustments to conform to Chapter 17, and an arborist report/tree preservation measures. The recorded vote was: Batra — Aye; Ortiz — Aye; Zarukian — Aye; Rowland — No; DeJodia — Aye. Motion passed 4–1.
Commissioners also passed a separate, unanimous request asking Shell to secure and provide written documentation from PG&E about the feasibility of placing PG&E equipment underground at the site; applicants had told the commission they approached PG&E and were told the available underground vaults were not large enough and that groundwater complicated undergrounding, but commissioners asked for a written statement to be included in the Council packet.
Staff will update the resolution language to reflect the commission’s conditions and include any PG&E documentation Shell provides before the City Council hearing.
