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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 4823 City of Palo Alto (ID # 4823) City Council Staff Report Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 6/16/2014 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Summary Title: EVSE Ordinance City Council Title: Public Hearing: Recommend Adoption of an Ordinance Requiring All New Multi -Family Residential and Non -Residential Construction to Provide for Current or Future Installation of EV Chargers From: City Manage r Lead Department: Planning and Community Environment Recommendation Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached local amendments to the California Green Building Standards Code requiring that all new Multi-Family Residential and Non- Residential construction provide for the current or future installation of Electric Vehicle chargers. Executive Summary On December 9, 2013, the Palo Alto City Council, in its regular City Council meeting, adopted an ordinance requiring all new single-family residential construction to provide the necessary circuitry for EV chargers. At its December 9, 2013 meeting, the City Council also directed staff to bring back to them for their review an ordinance that would create EV -friendly requirements for all new construction of multi-family residential and non-residential structures. Staff convened the EVSE Task Force to develop recommendations for the current or future provision of EV chargers in the following circumstances: (1) New multi-family residential construction; (2) New multi-family residential construction, with individual attached parking; (3) New non-residential structures other than hotels; (4) New hotels There are two attachments to this report. “Attachment A” is a draft ordinance that illustrates how the Task Force’s recommendations may be implemented as a local amendment to the California Green Building Standards Code. “Attachment B” provides a detailed estimate of costs for a typical construction project which could incur as a result of the Task Force’s recommendations. City of Palo Alto Page 2 On May 13th, 2014, the Policy and Services Committee met for a special meeting to review the recommendations of the EVSE Task Force. The Committee directed staff to proceed with the vast majority of the EVSE Task Force recommendations, with minor modifications. With one exception discussed below, the Committee’s direction has been incorporated into the attached ordinance. Background In response to City Council direction, staff convened the EVSE Task Force to develop recommendations for new multi-family, non-residential, and hotel parking requirements that will make Palo Alto a leader in promotion of electric vehicles. Mobile sources account for well over half of the emissions that contribute to ozone and particulate matter and nearly 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions in California. In order to help meet California’s health-based air quality standards and greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, significant gains are needed in the transportation sector in terms of reduced petroleum usage. Governor Brown's Executive Order of March 2012, directs state government to support and facilitate the rapid commercialization of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), with a target of having 1.5 million ZEVs on California roadways by 2025. In order to meet this goal and in order for electric vehicles to proliferate, it is important that early consumers have a positive experience and that facilities be readily available to provide convenient charging stations for the electric vehicles. According to a 2012 study completed by the California Center for Sustainable Energy in coordination with the Air Resources Board, approximately 1,000 new plug-in vehicles are being sold in the state every month and, at that time, Californians owned more than 12,000 plug-in electric vehicles (roughly 35% of all plug-in vehicles in the United States). These recommendations are developed in response to numerous requests by stakeholders to provide building standards that will meet current and future demands for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) in multi-family dwellings and commercial (non-residential) buildings. These recommendations will encourage and support use of electric vehicles as an alternate means of transportation. The provisions for EVSE for multi-family construction are intended to provide low-cost strategies that offer choice and savings in design for multi-family unit homeowners and multi-family tenants wishing to purchase an electric vehicle without necessitating retroactive installation of higher capacity electrical wiring and supply equipment for charging electrical vehicles. The provisions for EVSE for commercial construction are intended to provide sufficient access to electric vehicle charging capabilities. Staff has met multiple times with a group of stakeholders i ncluding EV owners, EVSE installers, contractors, and other related parties to review the recommendations brought before the City of Palo Alto Page 3 Policy and Services for review and the City Council for potential adoption. The recommendations before you were vetted with the Development Center Advisory Group (DCAG). During the first part of 2014, staff has continued the meetings with the EVSE Task Force to draft recommendations for new multi-family, non-residential, and hotel construction. In addition, staff has reviewed the EV permit fees and process to ensure it is cost neutral and EV friendly. Discussion By adopting the attached ordinance, the City of Palo Alto will require a three-tier combination of EVSE, EVSE ready outlets, and EVSE ready circuitry for new multi -family and commercial construction. The highest tier requires an “EVSE” parking space that contains installed electric vehicle supply equipment capable of charging at 30A or higher at 208 or 240 volts. The second highest tier requires an “EVSE-ready outlet,” such that little or no additional work is required to install an EVSE. The third tier requires “conduit only” (also called “raceway only”) identical to the requirement the City Council adopted for new single-family construction. A requirement to provide conduit only may be met by providing an EVSE -ready outlet, and a requirement to provide an EVSE-ready outlet may be met by providing an installed EVSE. In an effort to help illustrate to council the impact of these requirements to construction, staff has built two scenarios based on cost estimates for the purchase and installation of required supplies and equipment provided in Figure 1-1 in Attachment B. New Multi-family residential requirements The ordinance requires the following for new multi -family residential structures: 1. For new multi-family residential construction, the ordinance requires one EVSE-Outlet or EVSE Installed per unit. 2. For guest parking for new multi-family residential structures, the ordinance requires Conduit Only, EVSE-Outlet, or EVSE Installed for at least 25% of guest parking spaces. At least 5% of these spaces shall be EVSE Installed with a minimum of one EVSE Installed space. A scenario has been provided in Figure 1 -3 in Attachment B. 3. For new multi-family construction with individual attached parking (i.e. tuck-under garages), the ordinance requires one attached space with Conduit Only, EVSE -ready, or EVSE Installed. This requirement is identical to the existing requirement for new single family residences. New Non-residential requirements The ordinance requires the following for new non-residential (i.e. commercial) structures: 1. For new non-residential construction, other than hotels, the ordinance requires Conduit Only, EVSE-Outlet, or EVSE Installed for at least 25% of parking spaces. At least 5% of City of Palo Alto Page 4 these spaces shall be EVSE Installed with a minimum of one EVSE Installed space. A scenario has been provided in Figure 1-2 in Attachment B. 2. For new hotels, the ordinance requires Conduit Only, EVSE-Outlet, or EVSE Installed for at least 30% of parking spaces. At least 10% of these spaces shall be EVSE Installed with a minimum of one EVSE Installed space. General provisions The ordinance further requires that: 1. Property owners provide minimum circuit capacity sufficient to ensure e lectrical service will be able to accommodate future installation of EV chargers in all spaces where an outlet or conduit are provided. 2. Conduit Only, EVSE-Outlet, or EVSE Installed be provided for accessible parking spaces, with the condition that parking will not be restricted to electric vehicles in accessible spaces with EV equipment or infrastructure. 3. The Conduit, Outlet or EVSE required by the ordinance be located to provide convenient access, subject to guidelines to be established by the City. Policy and Services Committee Recommendations At its May 13, 2014 meeting, the Policy and Services Committee approved the EVSE Task Force recommendations with three modifications. First, the Committee directed staff to eliminate a distinction between multi -family residential structures developed with a condominium map and those developed without a condominium map. Upon implementing this change, staff found that an additional section dealing with mixed - use development was redundant and eliminated that section to further simplify the ordinance. In the event of mixed use development, the single-family and multi-family requirements will apply to those parking spaces reserved exclusively for residents, the residential guest parking requirements will apply to those spaces reserved exclusively for guests, and the non-residential requirements will apply to all remaining parking spaces. Second, the Committee directed staff to reevaluate the ordinance with the Council in three years’ time. This will provide an opportunity for the Council to assess EV market conditions, industry changes, and the practical impacts of the City’s cutting edge EVSE requirements. Because the ordinance is structured as a local amendment to the Green Building Standards Code, the Council will automatically be required to revisit the issue in 2016, when all California Building Codes must be updated and adopted. Third, the Committee directed staff to insert a requirement that the property owner bear the cost of electricity for actual EVSE installed in guest parking and commercial development. At this time, staff recommends returning the issue of payment to the Policy and Services Committee and moving forward with the remainder of the ordinance. In attempting to implement the Committee’s direction on this issue, staff encountered a number of detailed City of Palo Alto Page 5 policy questions for which additional direction is required. In addition, staff is currently exploring opportunities with the electric utility to develop an incentive and rebate program to help offset the cost of installing and operating EVSE; staff hopes to bring these issues forward on a coordinated, City-wide basis. Finally, there is some question regarding the legal ability of the City to impose such a requirement. This is a developing area of the law, a nd there is a case pending in the California Supreme Court that may shed light on these issues. To allow further guidance on legal issues and additional policy direction from the Council, staff recommends addressing questions of payment for EV chargers at a later date. Resource Impact Resource impacts from the adoption of this ordinance will be the additional staff time in plan checking and inspections. As with the enforcement of all building standards by the City, these costs are recovered through Building Permit fees. Environmental Review This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under Sections 15061, 15303, and 15311 of the CEQA Guidelines. Attachments:  Attachment A: EVSE Ordinance for multi-family and commercial (PDF)  Attachment B: Cost Analysis (PDF) ATTACHMENT A  NOT YET ADOPTED  140423 dm 0160077 1  Ordinance No. ______   Ordinance of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Adopting Section 16.14.380 of the Palo   Alto Municipal Code to Adopt Local Amendments to the California Green Building  Standards Code and Related Findings     The Council of the City of Palo Alto does ORDAIN as follows:      SECTION 1.  Findings and Declarations.       The adoption and amendment of Section A4.106.8 of the California Green Building  Standards Code is justified on the basis of local topographical and geographical conditions.  Failure to address and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions could result in rises to sea  level, including in San Francisco Bay, that could put at risk Palo Alto homes and businesses,  public facilities, and Highway 101 (Bayshore Freeway), particularly the mapped Flood Hazard  areas of the City. The aforementioned conditions create hazardous conditions for which  departure from California Green Building Standards Code is required.     SECTION 2.  Section 16.14.370 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is amended to read  as follows:    16.14.370 Section A4.106.8 Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging.     Section A4.106.8 of the California Green Building Standards Code is added and  amended to read:     A4.106.8 Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging for Residential Structures.  Newly  constructed single family and multifamily residential structures, including residential structures  constructed as part of a mixed use development, shall comply with the following requirements  for electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). All parking space calculations under this section  shall be rounded up to the next full space. New detached single‐family dwellings shall comply  with the following requirements for electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE):    A4.106.8.1 Definitions.  For the purposes of this section, the following  definitions shall apply:    (a) Level 2 EVSE. “Level 2 EVSE” shall mean an EVSE capable of charging at 30  amperes or higher at 208 or 240 VAC.  An EVSE capable of simultaneously  charging at 30 amperes for each of two vehicles shall be counted as two  Level 2 EVSE.    (b) Conduit Only. “Conduit Only” shall mean, at minimum: (1) a panel capable to  accommodate a dedicated branch circuit and service capacity to install a  208/240V, 50 amperes grounded AC outlet; and (2) raceway or wiring with  capacity to accommodate a 100 ampere circuit; terminating in (3) a listed  ATTACHMENT A  NOT YET ADOPTED  2    cabinet, box, enclosure, or NEMA receptacle.  The raceway shall be installed  so that minimal removal of materials is necessary to complete the final  installation.    (c) EVSE‐Ready Outlet. “EVSE‐Ready Outlet” shall mean, at minimum: (1) a panel  capable to accommodate a dedicated branch circuit and service capacity to  install a 208/240V, 50 amperes grounded AC outlet; (2) a two‐pole circuit  breaker; (3) raceway with capacity to accommodate 100‐ampere circuit; (4)  50 ampere wiring; terminating in (5) a 50 ampere NEMA receptacle in a  covered outlet box.    (d) EVSE Installed. “EVSE Installed” shall mean an installed Level 2 EVSE.    A4.106.8.2 Single Family Residences.  The following standards apply to newly  constructed detached and attached single family residences.    (a) In general. The property owner shall provide Conduit Only, EVSE‐Ready  Outlet, or EVSE Installed for each residence. as  minimum a panel capable to  accommodate a dedicated branch circuit and service capacity to install at  least a 208/240V, 50 amperes grounded AC outlet.  The raceway shall  terminate in close proximity to the proposed location of the charging  system into a listed cabinet, box, enclosure, or NEMA receptacle.  The  raceway shall be installed so that minimal removal of materials is necessary  to complete the final installation. The raceway shall have capacity to  accommodate a 100‐ampere circuit.    (b) Location.Design. The proposed location of a charging station may be  internal or external to the dwelling, and shall be in close proximity to an on‐ site parking space consistent with City guidelines, rules, and regulations. The  proposed design must comply with all applicable design guidelines, setbacks  and other code requirements.    A4.106.8.3 Multi‐Family Residential Structures. The following standards apply  to newly constructed residences in a multi‐family residential structure, except as  provided in section A4.106.8.4.    (a) Resident parking. The property owner shall provide at least one EVSE‐Ready  Outlet or EVSE Installed for each residential unit in the structure.    (b) Guest parking. The property owner shall provide Conduit Only, EVSE‐Ready  Outlet, or EVSE Installed, for at least 25% of guest parking spaces, among  which at least 5% (and no fewer than one) shall be EVSE Installed.    ATTACHMENT A  NOT YET ADOPTED  3    (c) Accessible spaces. The percentage calculations and substantive  requirements imposed by this section shall be applied separately to  accessible parking spaces. Parking at accessible spaces where an EVSE is  installed shall not be limited to electric vehicles.    (d) Minimum total circuit capacity. The property owner shall ensure sufficient  circuit capacity, as determined by the Chief Building Official, to support a  Level 2 EVSE in every location where Circuit Only, EVSE‐Ready Outlet or  EVSE Installed is required.    (e) Location.  The EVSE, receptacles, and/or raceway required by this section  shall be placed in locations allowing convenient installation of and access to  EVSE.  In addition, if parking is deed‐restricted to individual residential units,  the EVSE or receptacles required by subsection (a) shall be located such that  each unit has access to its own EVSE or receptacle. Location of EVSE or  receptacles shall be consistent with all City guidelines, rules, and  regulations.    A4.106.8.4 Exception – Multi‐Family Residential Structures with Individual,  Attached Parking.  The property owner shall provide Conduit Only, EVSE‐Ready  Outlet, or EVSE Installed for each newly constructed residence in a multi‐family  residential structure featuring: (1) a parking space attached to the residence; and  (2) a shared electrical panel between the residence and parking space (e.g., a  multi‐family structure with tuck‐under garages).     SECTION 3.  Section 16.14.380 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is amended to read  as follows:    16.14.380 Section A5.106.5.3 Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging for Non‐Residential Structures.     Section A5.106.5.3 of the California Green Building Standards Code is added and  amended to read:     A5.106.5.3 Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging for Non‐Residential Structures.  New  non‐residential structures shall comply with the following requirements for electric vehicle  supply equipment (EVSE).  All parking space calculations under this section shall be rounded up  to the next full space.    A5.106.5.3.1 Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following  definitions shall apply:    (a) Level 2 EVSE. “Level 2 EVSE” shall mean an EVSE capable of charging at 30  amperes or higher at 208 or 240 VAC.  An EVSE capable of simultaneously  ATTACHMENT A  NOT YET ADOPTED  4    charging at 30 amperes for each of two vehicles shall be counted as two  Level 2 EVSE.    (b) Conduit Only. “Conduit Only” shall mean, at minimum: (1) a panel capable to  accommodate a dedicated branch circuit and service capacity to install at  least a 208/240V, 50 amperes grounded AC outlet; and (2) raceway or wiring  with capacity to accommodate a 100 ampere circuit; terminating in (3) a  listed cabinet, box, enclosure, or NEMA receptacle.  The raceway shall be  installed so that minimal removal of materials is necessary to complete the  final installation.    (c) EVSE‐Ready Outlet. “EVSE‐Ready Outlet” shall mean, at minimum: (1) a panel  capable to accommodate a dedicated branch circuit and service capacity to  install at least a 208/240V, 50 amperes grounded AC outlet; (2) a two‐pole  circuit breaker; (3) raceway with capacity to accommodate a 100‐ampere  circuit; (4) 50 ampere wiring; terminating in (5) a 50 ampere NEMA  receptacle in a covered outlet box.    (d) EVSE Installed. “EVSE Installed” shall mean an installed Level 2 EVSE.    A5.106.5.3.2 Non‐Residential Structures Other than Hotels. The following  standards apply newly constructed non‐residential structures other than hotels.    (a) In general. The property owner shall provide Conduit Only, EVSE‐Ready  Outlet, or EVSE Installed for at least 25% of parking spaces, among which at  least 5% (and no fewer than one) shall be EVSE Installed.    (b) Accessible spaces. The percentage calculations and substantive  requirements imposed by this section shall be applied separately to  accessible parking spaces. Parking at accessible spaces where an EVSE is  installed shall not be limited to electric vehicles.    (c) Minimum total circuit capacity. The property owner shall ensure sufficient  circuit capacity, as determined by the Chief Building Official, to support a  Level 2 EVSE in every location where Circuit Only, EVSE‐Ready Outlet or  EVSE Installed is required.    (d) Location. The EVSE, receptacles, and/or raceway required by this section  shall be placed in locations allowing convenient installation of and access to  EVSE. Location of EVSE or receptacles shall be consistent with all City  guidelines, rules, and regulations.     A5.106.5.3.3 Hotels. The following standards apply newly constructed hotels.    ATTACHMENT A  NOT YET ADOPTED  5    (a) In general. The property owner shall provide Conduit Only, EVSE‐Ready  Outlet, or EVSE Installed for at least 30% of parking spaces, among which at  least 10% (and no fewer than one) shall be EVSE Installed.    (b) Accessible spaces. The percentage calculations and substantive  requirements imposed by this section shall be applied separately to  accessible parking spaces. Parking at accessible spaces where an EVSE is  installed shall not be limited to electric vehicles.    (c) Minimum total circuit capacity. The property owner shall ensure sufficient  circuit capacity, as determined by the Chief Building Official, to support a  Level 2 EVSE in every location where Circuit Only, EVSE‐Ready Outlet or  EVSE Installed is required.    (d) Location. The EVSE, receptacles, and/or raceway required by this section  shall be placed in locations allowing convenient installation of and access to  EVSE. Location of EVSE or receptacles shall be consistent with all City  guidelines, rules, and regulations.        SECTION 4.  If any section, subsection, clause or phrase of this Ordinance is for any  reason held to be invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion or  sections of the Ordinance.  The Council hereby declares that it should have adopted the  Ordinance and each section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase thereof irrespective of the  fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared  invalid.     SECTION 5.  The Council finds that this project is exempt from the provisions of the  California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), pursuant to Section 15061 of the CEQA  Guidelines, because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the ordinance  will have a significant effect on the environment.    //    //    //    //    //    //  ATTACHMENT A  NOT YET ADOPTED  6     SECTION 6.  This ordinance shall be effective on the thirty‐first day after the date of  its adoption.    INTRODUCED:       PASSED:      AYES:    NOES:    ABSENT:    ABSTENTIONS:    ATTEST:                  ____________________________     ____________________________  City Clerk             Mayor    APPROVED AS TO FORM:       APPROVED:    ____________________________     ____________________________  City Attorney           City Manager                 ____________________________               Director of Development Services                       ____________________________               Director of Administrative Services  1     Attachment  B:  EVSE  Cost  Analysis     The  EVSE  Task  Force  has  developed  a  cost  analysis  and  assumptions  for  the  application  of  the   proposed   ordinance.     The   cost   assumptions   include   basic   materials   and   installation   cost   as   provided  by  industry  experts  and  advocates  in  the  EVSE  Task  Force.    The  estimated  costs  for   typical   construction   activities   related   to   EVSE   installation   are   listed   in   Figure   1-­‐1.   The   costs   listed  address  the  following  items;  conduit  material  (also  called  “raceway”),  wiring  material,   electric  panel  circuits,  protective  circuit  materials,  and  charger  technology.  The  cost  estimates   also  include  the  labor  associated  with  installation.       Figure  1-­‐1:  EVSE  Cost  Analysis                     A.  Estimated  costs B.  Economies-­‐of-­‐scale for  co-­‐located  parking (Percent  Reduction  By  #  of  Installations) Item Ave.Low High 2 5 20 Basic  Materials 100'  of  raceway  for  one  parking  spot  -­‐  materials $214 $170 $235 0%10%20% Installation    of  100'  of  raceway  only $646 $515 $710 0%0%0% 100'  of  240V/  50A  wiring  for  one  parking  spot  -­‐  materials  only $186 $170 $205 0%10%20% Installation  of  100'  of  wiring  only $450 $360 $495 0%0%0% Installation  of  100'  of  raceway  &  wiring-­‐  (material  and  install)$1,557 $1,401 $1,713 0%10%15% Panel  capacity  supporting  one  240V/50A  circuit  (per  circuit)$400 $390 $440 0%10%20% Protective  requirements  per  240V/50A  circuit  (disconnect)$450 $360 $500 0%10%20% EVSE  Equipment Basic  single-­‐head  Level  2  charger    (Non-­‐network  EVSE  single  head)$1,000 $800 $1,500 Fully  featured  single-­‐head  Level  2  charger  (Networked  EVSE  single   head)$6,000 $5,000 $8,000 Basic  dual-­‐head  Level  2  charger  (Non-­‐network  EVSE  Double  Head)$2,000 $1,500 $3,000 Fully  featured  dual-­‐head  Level  2  charger  (Networked  EVSE  Double   Head)$7,500 $5,500 $8,000 2     The   cost   estimation   from   Figure   1-­‐1   has   been   applied   to   a   typical   commercial   construction   scenario  and  is  illustrated  in  Figure  1-­‐2.  The  numbers  highlighted  with  a  bold  box  have  been   used  to  populate  the  cost  scenario.         The  example  new  commercial  office  building  is  shown  in  Figure  1-­‐2.  This  scenario  assumes  a   30,000   square-­‐foot   construction   scope.     For   this  scope,   the   electric   vehicle   requirement   includes  5  fully  functional  EVSE  spaces  and  20  conduit-­‐only  spaces.  The  estimate  also  includes   the  city  permit  fees  for  installation.     The  overall  new  construction  cost  for  Figure  1-­‐2  is  estimated  at  $250  per  square  foot  totaling   $7,500,000.    This  estimate  was  obtained  from  Reed  Construction  Data,  an  industry  standard   source  for  cost  estimating.  The  estimated  EV  cost  for  the  commercial  scenario  is  $57,817.  The   estimated  EV  cost  would  increase  the  overall  cost  to  the  project  by  0.8%.       Figure  1-­‐2  New  Commercial  Construction  EVSE  Cost  Analysis  Scenario                         3     The   cost   estimation   from   Figure   1-­‐1   has   been   applied   to   typical   multi-­‐family   construction   project  and  is  illustrated  in  Figure  1-­‐3.  This  scenario  assumes  a  30-­‐unit,  30,000  square-­‐foot,  new   construction  project  with  55  resident  parking  spaces  and  10  guest  parking  spaces.  The  estimate   also  includes  the  city  permit  fees  for  installation.     The  overall  new  construction  cost  for  Figure  1-­‐3  is  estimated  at  $300  per  square  foot  totaling   $9,000,000.    This  estimate  was  obtained  from  Reed  Construction  Data,  an  industry  standard   source  for  cost  estimating.  The  estimated  EV  cost  for  the  new  multi-­‐family  scenario  is  $81,008.   The  estimated  EV  cost  would  increase  the  overall  cost  to  the  project  by  0.9%.     Figure  1-­‐3  New  Multi-­‐Family  Residential  -­‐  EVSE  Cost  Analysis  Scenario           The  EV  Task  force  has  also  discussed  the  revenue  generation  associated  with  the  installation  of   EVSE.    In  the  case  of  EVSE  with  simple  technology,  the  charging  station  only  allows  for  no-­‐cost   charging  by  the  EVSE  owner.  In  the  case  of  more  advanced  EVSE  technology,  the  equipment   owner   may   elect   to   require   a   fee   for   use   of   the   charging   station.   In   either   condition,   the   potential  revenue  created  from  EVSE  owners  should  be  considered  when  analyzing  the  cost   analysis  and  payback  period  of  EVSE.