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Neighbors urge Piedmont to limit Shell’s proposed 24/7 EV hub hours; commissioners add hours restriction
Summary
Multiple nearby residents urged the commission to reject 24/7 operations for a Shell EV hub, citing nighttime noise, safety and process concerns; commissioners added a condition limiting hours to the site’s prior schedule and asked for additional mitigation.
Several residents who live adjacent to the proposed Shell Recharge hub at 29 Wildwood Avenue urged the Planning Commission to restrict hours of operation and to require stronger mitigation for noise, vibration and equipment siting.
Neighbor Malcolm Talcott, who lives diagonally across the street, told the commission: "We don't want the, operating hours of the Shell recharge station to be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." Talcott and others urged returning to the historical gas‑station hours (6 a.m.–10 p.m.), asked for electrical gear to be placed in an underground vault if feasible, and asked for additional noise data and stronger controls than the 45‑day mitigation window staff proposed.
Other neighbors echoed those concerns, citing possible late‑night door slams, conversations, car idling and the risk of the site becoming an "attractive nuisance." Applicants said they expect low initial utilization (about three sessions per charger per day) and proposed remote monitoring, cameras, dimming/motion‑activated lighting and idle fees; commissioners nonetheless added an hours limitation and fencing/landscaping requirements to the recommendation to Council.
The commission's motion to forward the application to Council included the hours restriction and passed 4–1. The commission also unanimously asked Shell to provide written documentation from PG&E on whether PG&E equipment could be placed underground as a potential additional mitigation.
