According to a synopsis prepared by city staff about the new zoning category, “The proposed amendment helps to implement the 2020 Climate Equity Plan goal that 40 percent of total vehicle miles traveled in Austin are electrified.
The city has not previously had a zoning category for electric vehicle charging, she said, but with passage of the item, “we can have the infrastructure that we need to support the amount of electric vehicles” the city is hoping for. Alter noted that the charging stations are probably not for the average person, but would serve “ride-shares, fleets, other folks who are really trying to transition their vehicles to EVs to help with our environment.
Under an amendment proposed by the Planning Commission, electric vehicle charging stations may be one level below ground. The Fire Department will develop criteria for allowing charging at such locations.