After amending proposed requirements that would mandate infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations in new parking lots, the St. Paul City Council will vote on the zoning code ordinance on April 17.

The zoning rules would require new surface parking lots with more than 15 parking stalls to have conduit capable of hosting future electric vehicle charging stations.

For lots attached to multi-family residential buildings, at least 80% of the parking spaces would have to have an electrical conduit or raceway connection to electrical service, with sufficient panel space reserved to power EV charging.

St. Paul City Council President Mitra Jalali introduced an amendment on Wednesday that loosens but does not eliminate the standard for parking lots attached to commercial structures, dropping the conduit-readiness requirement to 20% of commercial stalls. The thinking, she said, is that most commercial lots will not need to offer overnight charging for patrons the way multi-family residential developments will as the EV market grows. Her amendment, which was recommended by city staff, was adopted 7-0.

“For commercial … it would adjust it and tweak it so the same amount of charging (readiness) is not required,” Jalali said. “The core purpose … is to expand the charging infrastructure in multi-family residential development.”

Minneapolis, Bloomington and St. Louis Park currently all require the installation of actual chargers, though the number varies.

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