Residents push back on Waymo charging site

Tempe Neighbors Battle Robotaxi Charging Station Proposal

Living in the Valley means embracing innovation, but residents near Hughes Acres in Tempe are drawing the line at having a 24/7 robotaxi charging station in their backyard.

The proposed facility at 2105 S. Terrace Road would replace an empty dirt lot near Broadway Road with a Terrawatt-operated charging hub for autonomous vehicles. While the company hasn't officially named its client, the smart money points to Waymo, which already blankets Tempe streets with its driverless fleet.

Neighbors aren't buying the "good neighbor" pitch. Samantha Boehringer, chair of the Hughes Acres Neighborhood Association, crunched the numbers and doesn't like what she found. The facility could bring roughly a thousand additional vehicle trips daily through quiet residential streets. That's a lot of robot traffic for an area with schools nearby and families walking to Meyer Park.

Dave Huizingh has lived two blocks from the proposed site since 1977. He supports the technology but questions the logic of placing industrial infrastructure on a minor residential street. The charging station would operate around the clock, with vehicles coming and going at all hours while residents try to sleep.

The proposal cleared Tempe's Development Review Commission last fall on a 4-2 vote, but that didn't end the fight. Neighbors appealed to the Board of Adjustment, which will hear their case on February 25.

To be clear, these aren't anti-technology crusaders. Residents emphasize they support electric vehicles and cleaner air. They simply want the charging station relocated to an appropriate industrial site rather than sandwiched between homes, condos, and a high school.

Terrawatt says it wants to be a good neighbor and welcomes community feedback. Whether that translates into a new location remains to be seen.

Sources: ABC15 | Tempe News