Thanks to a state grant and partnership with Helios Charging, by the end of 2027 the town of Breckenridge will have seven new fast-charge stations for electric vehicles. 

But the town still needs to decide where to put them. 

Matt Hulsey, assistant mobility and public works director, said installation and maintenance of the EV chargers comes at no cost to the town. 

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Husley said Helios Charging, a clean energy and EV charging developer based in Denver, requested to collaborate with the town on a state grant application to secure funding for new charging stations. The town provided a letter of support and earlier this year, the Colorado Energy Office awarded Helios with an over-$800,000 grant. Hulsey estimated the overall project in Breckenridge to cost around $1.2 million but said Helios is covering all extra costs. 

The only request, Hulsey said, is for the council to approve revocable site license agreements with Helios to formally hand over the use of seven parking spots. The grant stipulates the chargers must be installed within two years and remain in place for a minimum of five years. 

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Hulsey said last month he met with town engineering, parking and sustainability staff to deliberate ideal locations. He asked whether council preferred the EV chargers be placed at the Wellington lot at 203 N. Main St. or at the ice rink lot at 189 Boreas Pass Road.

Citing already tight local parking space, Mayor Kelly Owens and members of the town council all requested Hulsey return with alternate options and a more in-depth analysis of possible parking impact on residents, visitors and local businesses. 

“I’d like to know how staff feels about losing that number of spaces in the Wellington lot,” Owens said. “Maybe something not in the center of town would be useful.”

Owens suggested looking at placing the EV chargers at the Gold Run Nordic Center or golf course lots. She said several other projects over the last couple years have already encroached on parking space at the Wellington lot, including the recent construction of a nearby pedestrian pathway. 

Helios will install Level 3 EV chargers, which provide rapid charging in around 20 minutes or less, Hulsey said. 

Council member Jay Beckerman asked whether the chargers are intended primarily for longer-term residents and visitors or drivers passing the community. Hulsey said the chargers would benefit both groups.

For residents without EV chargers at their homes, Hulsey said, “it does provide a nice option for them where they could still purchase an EV and have additional infrastructure in town that they could use for charging.” 

For those just passing through town, he added, “it’s nice to be able to top off your charge in 20 minutes or less and make your way back.”

Beckerman said he shared the mayor’s concerns about potentially losing seven parking spots in either the Wellington lot or the ice rink lot.

“We already have so many uses happening with skier part-day parking, with overnight parking, with the ice rink, with the troll (statue), that I feel like it’s a difficult place to jam another use in,” Beckerman said. 

Parking availability has been a point of contention in Breckenridge over the last year. After hearing a slew of concerns from residents between November and January, the council opted not to move forward with a proposed 110-unit parking lot expansion for overnight users at the Gold Run Nordic Center. Local lodging industry members voiced criticism that the nordic center’s distance from downtown — around a 10-minute drive — would dissuade visitors from using it. 

“We quickly realized there is no perfect location to put these and lose the seven parking spaces,” Hulsey said of planning a site for the new EV chargers. 

If council ultimately opts for the Wellington lot, Hulsey said he’d anticipate some community resistance but would hope the distance between the chargers and the nearby South Gondola parking garage would lessen possible competition for parking spots. 

“I do think there’d be some people that will not be happy with losing additional spaces out of that lot,” Hulsey said. “The parking structure is 100 yards away from, so I think it’s less of a loss of parking there.”

Beckerman requested that Hulsey and Helios representatives also keep in mind effects to nearby local businesses when reviewing alternative site options. 

“It’s not that we’re like, don’t bring us back Wellington and ice rink, it’s more that we want to make sure we’ve vetted the situation,” Owens said at the end of the discussion. We’ll find a spot for them.”