There’s a certain recognition that the use of electric vehicles isn’t going away.

Which means part of public planning processes in coming years will have to include the infrastructure to support that use – namely, charging stations.

The City of Warren Planning Commission discussed the issue during its Wednesday meeting.

Commission member Mike Suppa asked if the city has started looking at grants “to improve that situation” or promote businesses making an investment.

“It’s coming,” he said.

Director of Codes and Planning Randy Rossey said charging stations have been included in the city’s comprehensive plan as well as part of the Trestle to Trestle effort “as part of a plan for the waterfront.”

City Manager Mike Holtz said that there are grant dollars available.

“One of the problems that we have, we can get the monies to get them, we have to get the power to them,” he said. “Penelec’s cost to get the power to charge them is pretty expensive.”

Holtz said that the Midtown Lot and Clark Street are two places where charging stations have been discussed but said there’s “nothing in the hopper right now.”

Kassie Damcott, Department of Public Works secretary, added that not being close to an interstate adds a layer of challenge to securing available grant dollars.