Hanford Planning Commission approves variance for CART site expansion to add electric-bus charging, solar canopies and battery storage

The Hanford City Planning Commission on May 26 voted to approve a variance allowing Kings Area Regional Transit (CART) to locate bus parking, solar canopy charging structures, electrical switchgear and a battery energy storage system (BES) inside the required 20-foot front setback at 629 West Davis Street.

City staff told commissioners the parcel is unusually small and that the proposed changes are needed for CART to meet California Air Resources Board Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) requirements to transition to zero-emission buses. Staff said the front setback would be reduced to about 2 feet 4 inches to accommodate solar canopies, chargers and a Tesla Megapack BES; a notice of exemption under CEQA was prepared (transcript cites section 15.303).

At the public hearing, Angie Dow, director for Kings County Public Transit Agency, said the project has been studied for more than a year and that the facility must remain in place because of co-located compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling that will remain in use during the fleet transition. "We have already worked with our electrical provider…to make sure there’s enough power available in the grid," Dow said, adding the layout preserves a central yard for bus maneuvering while placing charging infrastructure around the edges of the site.

Thomas Burton, an electrical engineer with ADM who consulted on the design, told commissioners the BES capacity is 979 kilowatts and 3.9 megawatt-hours and that the system uses Tesla Megapack equipment. He said the project team performed turning-radius studies and increased bus stall widths from a standard 12 feet to 14 feet to permit safe backing and maneuvering. Burton said buses will generally be charged in the evenings and that the facility will moderate charging to control demand charges. On safety, he said the fire marshal reviewed the design and that the BES was sited to reduce propagation risk to neighboring properties.

Commissioners asked about alternatives, future fleet growth (a figure referenced in the hearing as about 50 buses by 2040), canopy clearances and whether the encroachment would cross lot lines or obstruct sidewalks; staff confirmed the encroachment would remain on the parcel and would not extend into the public right-of-way. Burton said the highest canopy point is about 17 feet, with 13–14 foot clearances for buses.

A motion to adopt the resolution approving the variance was moved and seconded; the roll call vote recorded affirmative responses and the chair announced the motion approved. (The motion and roll call as recorded in the transcript reference resolution and variance numbers with some inconsistent formatting; see provenance and clarifying details.)

The approval allows CART to proceed with the site modifications needed to support electric bus operations at the facility. Staff recommended and the commission adopted the resolution; no additional director items were reported and the commission moved on to other business.