Morgan Junction Electric Vehicle Charging Station

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Conceptual design of EV charging site at former Morgan Junction substation property

Project Description

Seattle City Light owns a property in the Morgan Junction neighborhood that was previously used for an electrical substation. City Light proposes to construct a new electric vehicle (EV) charging station with a new parking lot and eight EV chargers at this location.

Location

street view of former substation property

The former Morgan Junction substation property is located at 4118 Southwest Morgan Street in Seattle.

What's Happening Now?

Project Update (April 2022): Customers were invited to provide their feedback on this proposal via an online survey. This survey ended on April 22, 2022, with 74% of survey respondents voicing support for the project and 13% of respondents voicing opposition. The community feedback gained from the survey will be used to guide the design and development of the charging station.

Project Update (August 2022): A Seattle City Light contractor will conduct environmental cleanup of the property in October 2022. The contractor will remove the remaining soil contamination, remove existing vegetation, and clean the area to appropriate levels. Replacement trees will be planted at a later date.

Project Update (August 2023): The project is currently in the design phase.

Project Update (January 2024): The project has reached 90% design and is entering the permitting phase.

Project Details

City Light is proposing to build a new EV charging station on the former substation property with up to eight EV chargers in a new surface parking lot. Vehicle access will be from Fauntleroy Way SW.
Anyone with an electric vehicle will be able to use the charging station. Drivers will need to pay a fee to charge. The fee is designed to pay for the electricity and the cost of building the station.
This is considered a good location for an EV charging station because it is close to neighborhood retail, services, and major arterial roads. There are currently no public EV fast chargers in the Morgan Junction neighborhood.

Typical Equipment

Example of EV Charging Station in Tukwila, Wash.
Example of City Light's EV fast charging station in Tukwila, Wash.

example of typical transformer installed near charging station
Example of typical service cabinets and transformers installed on site.

Property Overview & History

The property is located at 4118 SW Morgan Street. It is approximately 4,520 square feet and is zoned as Neighborhood Commercial. The site is a vacant and relatively flat lot.
City Light purchased the property in 1945 to construct a new substation, which became one of many 4-kilovolt (kV) substations throughout City Light's service area. The older 4kV substations were eventually phased out as the utility developed larger, more reliable substations. City Light decommissioned the Morgan Junction Substation in 2002 and removed all utility equipment.
The soil at the property is contaminated from previous uses and is planned for environmental cleanup in 2022. City Light's contractors will remove the remaining contaminants from the soil and clean the area to appropriate levels.
Seattle City Light is pursuing this project as part of an initiative to increase access to public EV chargers throughout the utility's service area. There are no public electric vehicle fast chargers in the Morgan Junction neighborhood.

Trees & Landscaping

Many of the existing trees are dying or in poor health. Because the contamination requiring removal extends throughout most of their roots, the existing trees will not likely survive after the environmental cleanup, even with the contractor using best practices for tree preservation to remove the contaminated soil. City Light will therefore remove the trees on the property to ensure that all contamination is cleaned and allow for the construction of the charging station and new tree and vegetation plantings.
As part of the charging station project, City Light will plant replacement trees at the property to provide healthy, long-term greenery for the neighborhood. Crews will replace each removed tree with two new trees, per City of Seattle Executive Order 03-05. The utility will plant some replacement trees at other locations because of the limited space at the former substation property.
To improve the property's appearance, City Light proposes to remove the existing chain link fence and replace it with a decorative fence along the alley and around the planned transformer at the eastern edge of the property. Shrubs are proposed for the north and south parts of the property to beautify and provide a visual barrier. Crews will plant native groundcover in non-paved areas. Where possible, City Light will use vegetation that offers local ecological benefits, such as for pollinator species.

Schedule

Construction is expected to begin in late 2024.