The Wallingford Planning & Zoning Commission last week unanimously approved an application from Amazon to develop 142 electric vehicle charging stations in a large parking lot at 528 South Cherry St.
Amazon has a delivery station warehouse at 425 South Cherry St., just down the street from the lot. It filed an application for a special permit to install the charging stations and lights.
Max Ausvagadorn, construction project manager for Amazon, explained during a public hearing on the application that the company will not modify the lot’s existing use. He said Amazon “has a mission” to expand its EV Fleet, and that is why it is seeking to add the charging stations.
As part of this project, he added, Amazon will provide upgrades to the fence around the property and lighting in the parking lot.
The lot has 720 parking spaces, so converting 142 to EV charging stations amounts to just under 20% of the spaces.
After closing the public hearing, the commission voted unanimously to approve the special permit application, but with conditions, including that the lot must be reserved solely for commercial use by a business entity and cannot be opened for use by the general public.
The number of EV charging stations to be installed at 528 South Cherry St. would be most in one spot in Wallingford. A project approved last year by the commission to develop a 2.04-acre vacant lot just off Exit 15 of Interstate 91 at 1 Miles Drive would have created a facility with up to 38 EV charging stations, but that project has been canceled.
