AMHERST — Five on-street locations in downtown Amherst are suitable for installation of electric vehicle charging stations, supplementing existing places for charging in municipal parking lots, according to a recently completed study.
At an estimated installation cost of $31,000 to $35,000 apiece for four of the sites, with a slightly higher $45,000 cost for getting chargers in place on Boltwood Avenue south of College Street, officials with consultant Leidos have provided the town a 43-page report outlining how to bring two, 32-amp charging ports, the existing town standard, to each location.
“Through the site evaluation process, review of available online data, and in-person site assessments, it was determined that five of the six locations are feasible for future project implementation,” the report reads.
Leidos completed the work after the town was awarded money through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center On-Street Charging Solutions Program.
Of the six sites examined in the study that began in March 2025 and concluded in May 2026, the only one ruled out is Spring Street near Amherst College because it would require installation of a new utility pole. Instead, the town may need to partner with First Church on a public-private partnership to get a charging station in place in that vicinity.
Susan Pace, a lead engineer for Leidos, said during a recent community presentation that the MassEVIP Public Access Charging Program could provide up to $50,000 for build out of each location.
One would be on Amity Street, across from the Jones Library and in front of the PeoplesBank, where an existing utility cabinet could provide the power.
On South Pleasant Street, north of Sellen Street, underground electric and transformer vaults are available, with the new charger connected to an existing cabinet on the Town Common.
On North Pleasant Street, north of Hallock Street, a cabinet is close to East Pleasant Street and trenching south of the playground could tie into a charging station with two ports.
Two more ports could be on the north side of Main Street at Sweetser Park.
The Boltwood location could add up to five ports. Pace said distribution cabinets and breaker space would need to be inspected by a licensed electrician at some point.
Jessica Strong, project manager for Leidos, said the community enagagement feasibility study was used only to identify suitable and equitable locations, and address regulation and technical challenges.
Strong said the idea was to find places near homes where residents could park and then walk home and then back, as well as near parks and other places people visit over the course of the day.
The consultants got input from 103 surveys, with almost all of those who completed these uniformly positive to the idea of having on-street charging stations.
If the town moves forward with this plan, it will have to determine what to charge for the amount of electricity used and how much parking revenue it would give up.
The report was delivered to Stephanie Ciccarello, the director of sustainability, and Town Engineer Jason Skeels.
